In New South Wales, Australia, a cost-effectiveness evaluation was conducted of an adult drug court (ADC) program as an alternative to jail for criminal offenders addicted to illicit drugs. This article describes the program, the cost-effectiveness analysis, and the results. The results of this study reveal that, for the 23-month period of the…

Batterers with access to firearms present a serious lethal threat to their partners. The purpose of this exploratory study is to estimate the prevalence of and risk markers for gun possession among Massachusetts men enrolled in batterer intervention programs. The authors found that 1.8% of the men reported having a gun in or around their home.…

Microcomputer uses by social researchers include writing programs, standard spreadsheets and data base management. In addition, microcomputers can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of information gathering by improving notetaking and organizing. Software developments will help make microcomputer data base management tools, now not…

Ten steps, generally following the scientific method, are identified and explained to assist the performance of a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) study. Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is compared to CEA, and implications of using CEA are discussed. (Author/LMO)

A comprehensive birth-to-kindergarten program was evaluated by classroom observations and teacher ratings of 132 participant children and 366 comparison children during fall and spring of the kindergarten year. Adjusting for possible effects of children's background characteristics, advantages for participants over comparison children were…

The Teaching Family Model (TFM) of delinquency treatment has evolved into a national network of community-based behaviorally oriented group homes. A longitudinal summative evaluation of TFM homes and comparison groups from the same or neighboring communities was mounted, and the results of a five year cost-effectiveness study are presented.…

The use of nonparametric quartile regression in examining the impacts of social programs on the distributions of noncategorical outcome measures is demonstrated through the study of earnings effects and income effects in four evaluations of training and employment programs for welfare recipients. Distributional impact estimates yield estimates…

A case study assessing a psychogeriatric service in the United Kingdom is evaluated. The methodology, combining naturalistic and scientific approaches, was found to be useful in extending access to decision making and improving information, but it was expensive to support, requiring high commitment and willingness to compromise from all…

The efficacy of an Assertive Community Treatment approach in preventing jail recidivism for the mentally ill was compared with that of forensic specialist case management or referral to mental health centers. More experimental subjects (total final sample of 94) returned to jail within a year. (SLD)

W. M. K. Trochim and others defend the record of the regression-discontinuity (RD) design and blur the statistical tests for treatment effect. Their Monte Carlo results show the problematic nature of RD and its potential bias. New testing strategies and restrictions for the application of RD are proposed. (SLD)

The reliability of criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) used in health program evaluation can be conceptualized in different ways. Formulas are presented for estimating appropriate standard error of measurement (SEM) for CRTs. The SEM can be used in computing confidence intervals for domain score estimates and for a cut-score. (Author/LMO)

An iterative ad hoc analysis of a variety of existing data bases was undertaken to estimate probable teacher shortages in math and science. This article describes the full set of compromises needed in order to use the data and the conclusions drawn. (Author/BW)

Results for 113 students and 59 comparisons from an evaluation of a three-year Success for All program under difficult circumstances show positive effects for the kindergarten component but largely negative effects in grades two and three. Evaluations of the program should assess its goal of getting all students to read at grade level by grade…

Conducted a model-based evaluation of a program designed to reduce HIV transmission from HIV-infected Ethiopian immigrants in Israel. Focused on pregnancy rate reduction as a measure of sexual exposure. Results for 145 female and 176 male clients in the intervention suggest reduction in unprotected sexual exposures among program participants. (SLD)

Massachusetts' Employment and Training (ET) Choices Program--a work-incentive demonstration--assumes that recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) would choose work over welfare if given genuine opportunities for economic improvement. Models for estimating caseload without the ET Program indicate that the program had only…