This instrumental case study documents a community-based participatory evaluation research (CBPER) project that involved a community partner, two graduate students, a faculty member, and an external funder. It highlights the fact that a participatory evaluation model is a viable way to conduct community-based research (CBR) when a community…

Guidelines are presented that can help Parent Teacher Associations, schools, and parents assess the ability of community agencies and programs to serve the needs of children, families, and the community. Topics include staffing, licensing and accreditation, insurance, resources, program evaluation, networking, ethical and professional standards,…

Outlines issues involved in evaluating community services and lists questions to be considered: Why evaluate? What are the benefits and costs? and What is being evaluated? Describes methods: surveys, case studies, performance indicators, action research, and holistic evaluation. (SK)

Discusses components of a consumer feedback system and methods for the systematic collection of information. The system used by the "Teaching-Family Model" approach to residential treatment illustrates the successful implementation of feedback. (Author)

Utilizing primarily interview data, one midwestern War on Poverty agency is examined with respect to the alternative, often conflicting ways it was perceived by various types of program participants and interested observers. The relationship of the local agency with the Office of Economic Opportunity is surveyed, reasons for conflict both within…

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program was established to help older Americans avail themselves of opportunities for voluntary service in their communities. Aspects of the program covered in this report include: administration, financing, program development, organization, Standards, recruitment, training and supervision of volunteers, resource…

Urban decentralization is an attempt to reorganize local services through some combination of: (1) giving service recipients or clients greater responsibility over service policies (the client dimension) and (2) increasing service resources at the level of specific, geographically defined neighborhoods (the territorial dimension). The…

The process called deinstitutionalization, whether of the elderly or mentally disabled, involves complex issues, not the least of which are economic, physical, social, and psychological costs; any attempt to further this process perforce needs a comprehensive, specific plan suited to community needs and to those who are to be served. A workable…

The National Advisory Council on Extension and Continuing Education was established under Title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965 for the purposes of giving advice to the Community Service and Continuing Education Program and reviewing the administration and effectiveness of all Federally supported extension and continuing education programs.…

The comparative impact of 2 intensive rural leadership development programs on male and female participants in Montana and Pennsylvania was examined. One goal of the one to three year programs (to increase the participants' involvement in public affairs organization) was tested by analysis of pre- and posttest data regarding participants…

The Learn and Serve Grant Program was designed to support schools and community-based organizations (CBOs) that engage children and adolescents in service activities linked to the school curriculum that address real community needs. An evaluation covered 93 Pennsylvania schools and CBOs that received funding to design and implement programs.…

Intensive leadership development programs in Pennsylvania, Michigan California, and Montana positively affected the participation of program graduates in public affairs organizations. The programs, begun in 1965, and designed to prepare young men and women from rural areas for more effective leadership in agricultural and public affairs, consisted…

The purpose of the study reported here was to assess the various decentralization efforts as they occurred in different services and in different cities. The study reviewed decentralization's record in terms of five outcomes: (1) Increases in the flow of information between servers and served; (2) Improvements in service officials attitudes; (3)…

The expansion of community development credit unions through a grant from the Office of Economic Opportunity is proposed and elaborated on by a current examination of the program. Described as consumer-owned, neighborhood-based financial institutions, more than 250 of these community credit unions are presently serving low-income communities…

The procedures and outcomes of community research training programs whose participants were mostly women and minority students in Boston, Los Angeles, and Atlanta are examined in this report. Each training program consisted of two phases with emphases on the development of basic research skills and field work experience in community organizations.…