Within Extension, certain personnel, facilitators, and volunteers expected to conduct research in the form of program evaluation may have little or no training in effective research design and practices. This circumstance can lead to difficulties in the implementation of evaluation procedures, particularly with regard to program evaluation…

One of the biggest challenges that states and local intermediaries face in setting up and scaling high-quality youth apprenticeships is gathering relevant, accurate and actionable data. High-quality data is an essential ingredient for a strong youth apprenticeship program because it equips state and local leaders to evaluate impact, monitor…

As part of a multi-state study on health message development, a group of family researchers, Extension faculty, and a learning technologist used audience-response systems, or "clickers," to display and record focus group participants' responses to questions. This article describes how the authors used clicker technology in focus group…

Cities around the country are building systems that seek to make the most of public and private resources to provide widespread, high-quality, out-of-school time opportunities. Local officials are leading these efforts because participation in OST programs not only benefits young people but also the cities in which they live, with the potential to…

Making Connections was the Annie E. Casey Foundation's signature place-based, community-change initiative of the 2000s. It sought to build on previous work and launch an effort focused firmly on the framework of family strengthening. The Foundation started Making Connections in 22 places, focusing eventually on first 10, then seven sites. It…

Response to intervention (RTI) can be both a system for providing early interventions to struggling students and a special education diagnostic tool for evaluating and identifying students with specific learning disabilities. Contributing to the very limited literature on state-level approaches, this report describes how nine states define and…

This guide is designed as a resource for leaders and evaluators of K-12 online learning programs. In this guide, the term "online learning" is used to refer to a range of education programs and resources in the K-12 arena, including distance learning courses offered by universities, private providers, or teachers at other schools;…

A comprehensive study of the vocational education needs, services, and funding in the State of Washington was made and recommendations provided to the State Legislature based on analysis of the data collected. The total study report was issued in two parts. This document, Part One of the study, summarizes the major findings and presents…

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Vocational Rehabilitation Programs of the Adult Correctional Facilities of the State of Washington, four groups of parolees were reviewed to determine their successful adjustment 18 months after parole. The Adult Correctional Facilities offer training in a variety of vocations, including the following: auto…

A comprehensive study of the vocational education needs, services, and funding in the State of Washington is described and documented in this report. The total study report was issued in two parts. Part One of the study, available in this issue as VT 021 097, summarizes the major findings and presents recommendations for improvement of vocational…

Academic achievement and high test scores are not the only indicators of a successful school. A good school is also a safe school. Unfortunately, every year in the United States, approximately 3.7 million students suffer an injury at school severe enough to require medical attention or to limit activity. Most of the injuries are preventable. Data…

This evaluation manual consists of information pertaining to the program evaluation process and the Washington Community College Evaluation Model. Following a discussion of evaluating vocational education programs, an annotated bibliography of nine works on vocational program evaluation is provided. Covered next are legal implications of program…