The purpose of this paper is to inform evaluators of a method of evaluating capacity building in educational programs. One definition of capacity building is helping an organization increase its ability to fulfill its mission (Wing, 2004). Evaluators of capacity-building efforts therefore must focus on evidence that the program has helped to build…

The Board of Regents of South Dakota's public colleges and universities decided in 1984 to implement a Value-Added Testing program (an exit test required for graduation) modelled on the Northeast Missouri State University plan. The plan was intended to increase student learning, improve curricular design, and encourage excellent teaching.…

Final evaluation of a 3-year project to use microcomputers to improve the reading and language skills of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Native American students revealed that there was significant growth evidenced in over 75% of the reading subscale groupings as measured by the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (*CTBS). Subjects were 114…

Evaluation at the end of the first year of a 3-year project to use microcomputers to improve the reading and language skills of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Native American students revealed that the major objective was not reached, but there were achievements nonetheless. Lakota (Sioux) children constitute 10% of the Rapid City, South Dakota…

Statistical evaluation indicated the effectiveness of 10 software packages used in a 3-year project to improve the reading and language skills of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Native American students. The project was implemented in four Rapid City (South Dakota) schools in which 79% of the Lakota (Sioux) Indian students (grades 3-6) were found…

This paper, which highlights the findings of a recently completed doctoral dissertation, attempts to: (1) identify the desirable professional competencies of superintendents as perceived by South Dakota school board members and superintendents, themselves; and (2) determine which competencies, when performed unsatisfactorily, are the most common…

Recognizing that parents are their children's first teachers and that their parenting style can influence educational experiences, this study used an ethnographic approach to evaluate the impact on parent-child interaction of the parent education component of the South Dakota Head Start/Public School Transition Project. The demonstration group was…

The faculty training strategy designed by the South Dakota Medical Information Exchange (SDMIX) staff implements principles of innovation and concern theory to facilitate the adoption of teleconferencing as an instructional medium. The goal of the workshop described is to provide faculty with the skills and experiences necessary for developing…

This study used an ethnographic approach to evaluate the impact of the South Dakota Head Start/Public School Transition Demonstration Project on school climate and parent involvement, focusing on the impact of family service coordinators. The demonstration group was composed of children and families who received comprehensive Head Start-like…

Early intervention programs have been designed to improve the educational chances for at-risk or poor children who are more likely than middle class children to come from families lacking characteristics that contribute to children's educational success. This study used an ethnographic orientation to evaluate the impact of the South Dakota Head…

One major component of the efforts to promote the use of technology and distance education in South Dakota and specifically of Phase III of the Connecting the Schools Project-an initiative announced in the spring of 1999 by Governor Janklow that built a statewide intranet among all 176 school districts--was a comprehensive evaluation activity. The…

To determine perceptions of school board members, teachers, and principals in rural schools about the quality of their educational programs, the type of preparation they had received in preservice programs, and the inservice opportunities available to them, responses to questionnaires from 2,028 teachers, 119 principals, and 113 school board…