Researchers conducted focus groups in three Minnesota Head Start programs that provide full-day services. The purpose of this descriptive study was to understand how these programs operated, the strengths and challenges of full-day Head Start programs, and how working parents and those on public assistance described these services. Findings…

"Doors to Discovery"[TM] is an early childhood curriculum that uses thematic units to engage young children and support them as they build an understanding of their world. "Doors to Discovery"[TM] literacy activities are used to encourage children's development in a number of areas identified by research as the foundation for…

This Digest argues that management factors are central to youth program successes and failures and that these factor have been ignored in research on youth programs. Instead, the Digest notes that research and evaluation of programs have focused on the following: (1) whether the right audience is served; (2) whether to make incremental…

In the summer of 1991, 24 students, members of an I Have a Dream (IHAD) program, took part in a pilot program to introduce them to the work force through internships augmented by a training program. The Coro Foundation was contacted by IHAD to run the training program, which was adapted to the needs of disadvantaged students entering 10th grade.…

Three off campus private alternative schools have been supported, in part, by the Portland, Oregon, Public Schools. The students, mostly high school age, are largely dropouts or on the verge of dropping out of school. Many were referred because of behavior, attendance, or other discipline problems. At least half of the students in each school have…

Title I reading and math outcomes for the school years 1980-81 and 1981-82 in the District of Columbia's public schools (grades 1, 2, 3 and 7) are the subject of this report. In both school years, achievement gains in reading exceeded program objectives for grades 3 and 7 but not for grade 2 (grade 1 scores were not used due to a technical…

The Government Accounting Office (GAO) conducted this review to learn about the potential impact of recent legislative amendments to the Child Support Enforcement Program and to determine (1) whether data compiled on program activities are sufficient and reliable for program oversight; and (2) whether efforts to determine paternity and obtain…

This paper discusses the significant political advances for disadvantaged children that have been dependent upon trends and upheavals in the economy and major social or political movements. Evidence is provided which indicates that large scale U.S. government programs are rarely based on a public concern for children, but rather on a more…

This paper reviews the sections of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) that provide for using competencies gained by youth as evaluation tools. The paper discusses the types of competencies that youths should gain by such programs and how they should be measured, as an alternative to traditional program-based evaluation. The paper is organized…

This report represents the completion of an extensive evaluation of pre-employment programs as potential strategies for moving disadvantaged youth into private sector jobs. The report inspects long-run impacts on participants in five "70001 Pre-employment Programs" by analyzing data from followup interviews of participant and comparison…

The reauthorization of the Follow Through Program (FT), a program designed to reinforce gains made by low income children in preschool, is the subject of this hearing report. Testimony includes a rationale for reauthorizing the program; information and comments concerning the accomplishments and future prospects of FT; a brief historical…

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is a national program that seeks to motivate children to read. Implemented by local sponsors and aimed at disadvantaged groups, it offers participating children a wide selection of attractive paperbound books about interesting people, places, and events. The multisite evaluation discussed in this technical report…

Critically examines a study of Project Upward Bound by the General Accounting Office, the purpose of which was to determine the effectiveness of Upward Bound programs in preparing disadvantaged students for college, charging that the GAO researchers were insensitive in determining Upward Bound success and criticizing the role of education in…

A slide/tape series entitled "Vocational Education and the Special Needs Student" was developed in North Dakota to illustrate adaptations that vocational education teachers have made for special needs students (mentally handicapped, physically handicapped, and disadvantaged) and to serve as a basis for discussion at inservice and preservice levels…

This paper summarizes a report on a search for potential new educational approaches and assesses the readiness of these approaches to be implemented within Follow Through (FT) programs. Evaluation of potential FT sponsoring agencies focused on program implementation and maintenance, rather than on effectiveness in improving student outcomes. Three…