Evaluations of the special supplemental program for Women,infants, and children's (WIC's) effectiveness

The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) analyzed the evaluations of the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to determine whether they support assertions that have been made about the program's positive effects for five outcomes. Insufficient evidence was found for making any general or conclusive judgments about WIC's effectiveness overall, but in a limited way, the information does indicate the likelihood that WIC has positive effects in some areas. GAO also assessed problems in the state of evaluation efforts. That the program evaluations do not reveal whether WIC is having the effect intended by the legislation underscores the need to design and implement better studies. Generally speaking, GAO believes that if the lessons learned from past efforts are heeded, it should be possible to produce information on the overall effectiveness of WIC.     

A Modified Knox Test of Space-Time Clustering

Tests of space-time clustering such as the Knox test are used by epidemiologists in the preliminary analysis of datasets where an infectious aetiology is suspected. The Knox test statistic is the number of cases close in both space and time to another case. The test statistic proposed here is the excess number of such cases over that expected under H₀ of no infection. It is argued that this modified test is more powerful than the Knox test, because the test statistic is not heavily tied as is the Knox test statistic. The use of the test is illustrated with examples.     

美国项目管理评量表概况及其对我国托幼机构评估的启示

由美国伊利诺伊州惠灵市国立路易斯大学幼儿教育部的教授保拉·约德·布鲁姆和副教授泰瑞·N·塔兰研发并修订的项目管理评量表旨在衡量项目或机构管理的质量,包含人力资源开发、人员成本与配置、中心运营、儿童评估、财务管理、项目策划与评估、家庭伙伴关系、市场营销与公共关系、技术、员工资格等10个子量表,下含25个项目,每个项目有具体指标和赋分规则,使用者按照不充分到优秀7级赋分方式给每个指标进行评分。项目管理评量表整体具有重视管理中人的因素、重视过程性评价、重视儿童权利的保护、重视评估引领作用等特点,在培训、认定评估者,丰富、细化评估内容,规范评估步骤与方法,完善评估支持系统等四个方面给予我国托幼机构评估工作以启示。     

Effectiveness of Financial Education on Financial Management Behavior and Account Usage: Evidence from a ‘Second Chance’ Program

The Get Checking™ program is a “second chance” program that aims to provide financial education to consumers who were reported to ChexSystems by a previous financial institution for account abuse or mismanagement. Using data collected from Indiana participants of the program, the first goal of this study is to investigate the success of the program in impacting financial management behavior of the participants. The second goal is to investigate the change of participants’ actual behavior in terms of account usage and asset-building after the completion of the program. The findings show that the program was successful in positively influencing the financial management behavior of Non-whites in terms of recording transactions and communicating with financial institutions. Also, financial management skills emphasized in the program, especially communicating with financial institutions, have a significant positive effect on the actual behavior of the participants in terms of obtaining a loan. Among the heterogeneous group of the unbanked, findings shed light on the demographic groups, such as Non-whites and young adults that could benefit the most from this type of financial management education.

Using activity theory to evaluate and improve K-12 school and university partnerships

This article reports on an evaluation methodology development study for K-12 school and university partnerships. The method is based on Engeström's (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit Oy activity systems analysis that allows researchers to examine qualitative datasets of complex human interactions. This study was designed for participants to evaluate partnership relations and activities. We investigated how the use of activity systems analysis in K-12 school and university partnership evaluation meetings affected participant communication processes. In this study, during a 1-day retreat K-12 school staff and university staff used a modified activity systems model to identify persisting institutional tensions in their program that often trigger miscommunications and strain their relations. During the discussion sessions, study participants collaboratively examined their partnership relations and identified strategies for overcoming difficulties. Additionally, in subsequent monthly partnership meetings during the school year, participants examined findings from the evaluation to design and implement improvement strategies. The results from this methodology development and implementation study provided researchers and partnership participants a new means to (a) evaluate partnership activities, (b) identify institutional barriers, (c) plan future activities, and (d) listen to and incorporate the ideas of less vocal staff members into the planning of future activities.     

高校中外合作办学项目学生跨文化适应状况及其影响因素

研究表明,参与我国高校中外合作办学项目的学生整体心理适应状况良好,在社会文化适应五维度中,人际交往方面的适应困难最大,其次为学业适应。学历、留学时长、国内阶段教学满意度等因素对学生的整体跨文化适应状况具有重要影响。     

Navigating the “Sea of Goodwill”: Lessons from Regional Veterans Collaboratives

ABSTRACT

Veterans and military families face a complex set of challenges transitioning to civilian life. Following in a tradition of community collaboration and collective impact, we believe that a coordinated community-based approach can help ease this transition. Our comparative case study suggests that veteran collaborative efforts should be based on best principles including a neutral and natural convening organization; the presence of credibility, respect, and trust; resources to administer and facilitate; and using data for planning and implementation. Looking forward, these collaboratives need to address issues of scale, formalizing and broadening their scope to identify and achieve and evaluate their impact.     

A Computer-Integrated Approach to Program Evaluation

Abstract

Outcome evaluation of group work intervention in residential agencies. Development of a management/clinical information system and related computer applications.

Program evaluation as discussed in this article describes a service delivery-focused approach to program evaluation which is actually designed and implemented in a residential treatment agency for delinquent youth, the evaluation approach represents a practical strategy which applies much of the current thinking and research in the area of user focused evaluation. The approach has been refined by incorporating the product of the authors' experiential learning and pragmatic adaptations which evolved out of field testing the model over several years.

The authors present the overall approach to evaluation and the development of the evaluation model within an agency context. The author's then describe the development of a computer-based system which is designed to serve as both a management information system and a clinical information system. Basic aspects of the computer-based evaluation system are presented. Throughout the article, the authors discuss process-related issues pertaining to the introduction of evaluation to both management and staff and movement toward the implementation of an automated evaluation system.     

美国特殊教育青年教师的入职教育

入职教育是对青年教师提供的综合性支持,对于青年教师教学能力的提高和未来的职业发展有着重要的作用。由于面对的学生群体的特殊性,特殊教育青年教师会面临比普通青年教师更大的挑战,因此,入职教育对于特殊教育青年教师有着重要的作用和意义。借鉴美国对特殊教育青年教师提供的入职教育的经验,可以从完善特殊教育青年教师入职教育制度,联合大学共同实施和管理特殊教育青年教师入职教育项目,促进开展特殊教育青年教师入职教育相关研究三个方面入手,规范和促进我国特殊教育青年教师入职教育的发展。     

Caring Together for Elderly Mothers: A Qualitative Study of Relations Between Adult Daughters and Supportive Home Care Workers

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study examines relationships between adult daughters caring for elderly disabled mothers and the mothers' personal care workers (PCWs) paid directly by the Wisconsin Community Options Program (COP). A subset of a larger study, in these five cases PCWs provide substantial hands on care without substituting for the heavy care also provided by the daughters. Direct payment offers the daughters and workers freedom to schedule around their family obligations and other limits and tailor care to the abilities of all three participants. It also allows the daughter to be the paid provider when she chooses. Expansion of such supportive services could benefit many more low and middle income families.