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A training effort to upgrade the competencies of classroom teachers in program evaluation at the local school level was undertaken by the Division of Research and Development of the Cleveland Public Schools during the Spring of 1971. The model for this training effort was the Evaluation Liaison Teacher Plan, which provided for assignment of an Evaluation Liaison Teacher to each school to serve as a resource for the school staff in assessment of its programs. The model was implemented in connection with the summer school programming offered in Cleveland's Title I schools during the summer of 1971. This model evolved from involving assumptions: (1) the recognition of the classroom teacher as the key facilitator of instruction and its evaluation; (2) utilization of in-line administrative channels to support evaluative processes through emphasis of the principal's responsibility at the school level; and (3) Placement of responsibility for instructional evaluation in the classroom. Operationally, major program elements included: (1) assignment of an evaluation liaison teacher to serve each school, (2) design of protocol materials and training mediums in application of evaluation to school programs, and (3) provision of "hands-on" training for liaison teachers in various aspects of evaluation. At the end of the program, questionnaires were distributed randomly to participants and school staff and to 48 evaluation liaison teachers. About three out of four teachers believed the plan should be continued. Sixty-seven percent of the elementary teachers and 72 percent of the secondary teachers were in favor of the idea of an evaluation liaison teacher in each building. At least one out of two fellow staff members of teachers were also in favor of the program. (CK)

During the 1960-1970 school year, the Cleveland Public Schools began implementing a More Effective Schools (MES) Program in two elementary buildings. This report is the evaluation of the third year of operation of the program (1971-72 school year). The MES Program was designed to attack the poor achievement patterns of inner-city children through the alteration of organizational and instructional patterns across all grades within a given school. Unlike many compensatory education programs that are designed to serve those children with the greatest need within a given subject area, the thesis of MES is that all inner-city children have pressing educational needs, and that efforts to improve the performance of these children in school requires a comprehensive approach that involves all children in all grades. The rationale behind the program is that: (1) learning will be facilitated if the school services and staff are organized and coordinated to give priority to the individual needs of each child, and (2) teachers will teach effectively if they are given the time, the freedom from non-teaching duties, the necessary supportive personnel, and the variety of materials needed for more individualized instruction. The MES Program grew out of the meetings of a committee composed of representatives of the Cleveland Teachers Union and the Cleveland Board of Education. (Author/JM)

Job Development Service provides special activities designed to achieve the following objectives: (1) to increase student knowledge of employment opportunities and procedures; (2) to strengthen employment opportunities for students of inner-city high schools; and, (3) to identify jobs available with local employers and refer students for job interviews. Since the 1966-67 school year, approximately 9529 graduates of five inner-city senior high schools have had an opportunity to participate in a job placement program conducted by the Cleveland Public Schools Job Development Service. Of those students who demonstrated interest in post graduation employment, 95 percent obtained full time jobs. Participants were serviced by project activities that included job preparation classes, counseling services, field trips to plants, and job-interview coaching. Guidance counselors were responsible for organizing and implementing these services. Assisting the guidance counselors, occupational advisors were able to obtain commitments from local industry representatives, to plan meaningful occupation-related field trips, and to identify occupational information resources. An advisory board composed of a cross-section of local employers assisted project planning and implementation efforts. (Author/JM)

During the 1971-1972 school year, 808 pupils enrolled in fourth and fifth grade regular classes in 24 schools participated in the Talking Typewriter Program. The design of the program placed two classes at the instructional site every six weeks. After completion of the six-week phase of the program, these classes returned to their home schools and entered the 150 day follow-up phase of the program. The pupils received approximately fifteen minutes of instruction each day on the Talking Typewriter. Information was presented to the children audibly and visually, and the Talking Typewriters responded to the children, providing a constant flow of responses. A random sample of six schools was selected to evaluate the program. Some of the results indicated that on the basis of post-program reading vocabulary and reading comprehension scores better than one out of four pupils in the sample population narrowed the discrepancy between their performance levels and reading expectancies to 1.0 or less grade equivalent units. Average gain in comprehension grade equivalent units was 5 months in an average service period of 25.46 days. It was recommended that the Talking Typewriter Program continue. (WR)

The Resident Tutor Project, funded under Title I of the 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act, was initiated in June 1968, in an effort to prevent skill deficits from progressing to such a point that they are beyond remediation within the relatively short span of a child's school years. The project was designed to provide additional resources to supplement classroom learning experiences through employing college students to tutor elementary and secondary students on a regular weekly schedule. It was hoped that the availability of tutoring service would provide students with the following: immediate tutorial service when learning difficulties become apparent; reinforcement in basic skill areas; opportunity for personal relationships with adults. During the 1971-72 school year, the Resident Tutor Project supplied tutors for 3,538 students in 68 elementary schools and in one junior and one senior high school in the Cleveland Public School system. In addition, 408 students in 21 non-public elementary schools and two non-public senior high schools received project services. During the summer school of 1972, 4,244 students in Grades One through 12 received tutoring service in the Cleveland Public Schools. No non-public schools were served in the summer. (Author/JM)

The objectives of the Nutritional Improvement Project were as follows: children will attend school regularly; children will develop a receptive attitude toward school; children will increase in level of achievement. Cleveland Public Schools for the past four and one-half years have provided breakfast for all elementary pupils attending Title I, 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act, schools. In 1971-72 school year, approximately 37,000 students in 58 schools were served breakfast every day. All pupils in grades from kindergarten through six in the 58 Title I schools were offered breakfast at the beginning of each school day between 8:40 and 9:00 a.m. Pupils ate breakfast in their classroom with Breakfast Aides servicing four rooms by distributing the food, supervising the collection of all disposables and clearing the classrooms prior to the start of the school day. The Breakfast Aides who were hired from among applicants residing in the school neighborhood, worked an average of three hours per day. For the past five years there has been a continuing trend of lower attendance in Title I and non-Title I schools. However the Title I schools receiving breakfast did not experience as great a decline in attendance between 1967-68 and 1970-71, and in 1971-72 showed a slightly greater gain in attendance than recorded in the near-poverty area elementary schools. (Author/JM)

The Bilingual Component of English-As-A-Second Language Project, funded under Title I of the 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act, represents local educational pilot efforts to demonstrate the utilization of the Spanish language and culture as a leverage for adjustment and achievement, rather than as a barrier, in the process of acclimation to a different culture. The goal of the Bilingual Program is to enable the natural bilingual children to grow up speaking both good Spanish and good English and to develop positive attitudes toward bilingualism and biculturalism. The project served a total of approximately 35 primary school age children. Average daily membership was estimated at 32 children. These children represented six public and one parochial schools. Based on questionnaire responses, interviews, and periodic-on-site observations, the evaluation report attempts to respond to the following questions: To what degree were the process objectives implemented? What were the opinions of school personnel and program staff relative to the project? Were there differences in basic reading and math skills between bilingual participants and comparable control groups? (Author/JM)

The 1971-72 Title I, 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act, English-As-A-Second Language Project represented local educational efforts for the sixth consecutive year to provide services which would alleviate language, social, and cultural problems of elementary school age second-language learners. The goal of the project was to provide a specialized program of instruction directed at helping non-English speaking elementary school children acquire some level of proficiency in the use of the English language as well as in helping them adjust to the immediate environment. During the 1971-72 school year, the project served a total of approximately 620 pupils in 12 public and one parochial elementary schools. The process objectives included the following: (1) assignment of an English-As-A-Second Language team which consists of an English-As-A-Second Language teacher, a teacher assistant, and a tutor to schools will be based on concentration of non-English speaking students; (2) a maximum of 15 pupils will be assigned to any one class session where duration per session may vary from one hour to 20 minutes based on the proficiency level of the group; follow-up tutoring sessions are from one half and hour to one hour; and, (3) pupils will be grouped according to needs in oral English and basic reading skills. (Author/JM)

The Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965 Title I Transition Classes were designed to establish a more stable yet flexible learning environment specifically adapted to the adjustment needs of selected disadvantaged pupils in the initial year of junior high school. Unique dimensions of the project included sefl-contained classes, teacher-team instructional approach, modified core curriculum, block scheduling, reduced class size and home visitation. With the close of the 1971-72 school year, the Transition Project completed its sixth year of operation. The 13 public schools and two non-public schools involved in the 1971-72 program represented a range of from one to six years of project participation, with four of the schools participating continuously since the project began in September, 1966. The 1971-72 project operation served a total of 1272 students enrolled in seventh grade. Approximately 71 percent of these students remained in Transition Classes for the entire school year. Among the stated objectives of the project were included the following: (1) to attain gains in reading significantly greater than gains expected (based on initial rate of progress); (2) to attain gains in arithmetic significantly greater than gains expected; and, (3) to improve basic communication skills of students. (Author/JM)

The Disadvantaged Pupil Program Fund School Camping Program respresented local educational efforts for the sixth consecutive year to extend classroom learning experiences into the natural environment. The Project sponsored a five-day long resident school-oriented camping program which attempted to offer an integrated balance of typical learning experiences and the natural phenomena which exist in the real world. In addition, it provided unique experiences of learning how to live with one another, of developing attitudes and skills for problem-solving, developing understanding and tolerance of others, etc. The School Camping Program served a total of 3,010 fifth and sixth grade pupils from 53 Title I, 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act schools during the 1971-72 school year. Ninety teachers were involved in the Project as they accompanied their respective homeroom classes to the program. Approximately 120 pupils and four teachers from three schools, representing varied geographical locations attended the Project weekly. The program of instruction and the curriculum at the Project were structured in such a manner that it would extend typical school-associated learnings. Activities were included to enhance language and reading, social studies, mathematics, and science skills. (Author/JM)

The Production Workshop Project was designed to promote the educational rehabilitation of selected ninth-grade students. Programs in block-scheduled academic instruction were integrated with vocational training in a Production Workshop setting. The 1971-72 Project activities served a total of 243 students--117 boys and 126 girls. Approximately 68 percent of these participants remained in the project for the entire school year. Project operations integrated changes in both the content and the organization of instruction. A key element was the involvement of students in production-oriented workshops. Work experiences for girls were developed in a combination food-and clothing laboratory. Work experience for boys utilized an industrial arts shop with modifications in equipment and materials. As a motivating element, participants in the project received 50 cents per hour for one hour per day for the work done in the project workshop. The total amount per pupil was $2.50 per week, approximately $45.00 for the semester. Class sizes were reduced with a maximum enrollemnt of 20 students per project class. In order to provide close supervision and individualized attention, a teacher's aide divided his time between the class of boys and the class of girls in each of the five schools. Academic instruction was integrated in a four-period block. (Author/JM0

The third year of a field test of the Individually Prescribed Instruction (IPI) program in two inner-city elementary schools is reported. The results of the Stanford Achievement Tests administered to IPI and Control children in grades two, four, and six showed that IPI students scored higher on one out of three subtests at grade four, on two out of three at grade six, and none out of two at grade two. Results of longitudinal analyses provide no evidence of IPI superiority in mathematics achievement over three years of operation. Cross-sectional analyses provided some evidence of a gradual rise in achievement levels at certain grade levels. Also briefly discussed in the document are financing, staff training program, and school organization. (DT)

The results of the Mathematics Skills Improvement Project used with about 2,000 low-achieving students in grades three through six are reported. The services of 35 mathematics consultants were provided for 36 schools. Data obtained (using the California Test of Basic Skills) on pupil achievement for one year in the project indicated that project participants achieved significantly greater gains than did comparable pupils not participating in the project. However, data obtained on pupil achievement for two years of service in the project indicated no significant differences in achievement. Implementation of process objectives of the project in relation to the extent of services to pupils and communication with classroom teachers and pupils' families are discussed briefly. (DT)

This report presents an evaluation of Cleveland's Kindergarten Enrichment Program, 1971-1972. The program was designed to provide continuation of the enriched learning experiences initiated in preschool, and to create environments conducive to learning for children without preschool experience. Target classes were chosen according to a poverty index. The program has the following components: teacher assistants in kindergarten classrooms, male college students serving as models, a program of instructional and supportive services, and parent involvement. Approximately 6,000 children in 208 classrooms were served during the 1971-72 year. As measured by the Stanford Early School Achievement Test and the Metropolitan Readiness Test, project participants evidenced significant growth in readiness skills. Staff interviews and other verbal reports indicated that traditional kindergarten classroom behavior patterns had been changed in positive ways. It is stressed that direct observation of teacher and child behavior is needed to make future evaluations. Program staff and training workshops are evaluated. (DP)

This evaluation study outlines the needs, rationale, historical background, and operations of the Title I Child Development Project (1965-72). The 1971-72 Project is described and evaluated; implications of key findings are discussed. The major emphasis of the 1971-72 school year focused on staff development through inservice workshops. It is recommended that (1) the project and (2) focus on staff development be continued, (3) there should be an objective systematic classroom schedule to monitor what is happening in the classroom, and (4) teachers' requests to continue to work with teacher consultants should be granted. Appendices list child development centers, tests used in the study, and summaries of teachers' and parents' responses to questionnaires. (DO)

The 1971-72 evaluation report of Project Follow Through in the Cleveland public schools focuses on the following issues: (1) degree to which product objectives at each grade level were attained, (2) degree to which such factors as project participation, teacher, preschool experience, and socio-economic factors influenced children's performance, (3) what other factors had important influences, and (4) degree to which the principles of the responsive classroom environment were evident in the classrooms. The Follow Through Project in Cleveland provides a comprehensive program of instruction and supportive services for 4 1/2 years. The instructional approach, Responsive Classroom Environment, is characterized by individualized instruction, free exploration, immediate feedback to children about the consequences of their actions, self-pacing and child orientation, and structure designed to facilitate interconnected discoveries by the learner. The project served a total of 466 children during the '71-'72 year in Cleveland. Major evaluative findings are presented, and recommendations for the program are discussed. (DP)

The Cleveland Reading Improvement Project attempts to provide specialized reading instruction for disadvantaged pupils in the primary grades. The project utilized the services of a reading consultant in each target school and serves children who have been identified by their classroom teachers and school principals as experiencing difficulty in mastering reading. Master Teachers and educational aides furnish individual and small group instruction on a daily basis. Other key components of the program include: the diagnosis of pupil reading needs, a wide range of alternative instructional techniques, a variety of reading materials, parental involvement, and feedback to the classroom teacher. Findings in the fourth year of the project indicate a significant improvement in the reading performance of children who participated in the program during the 1971-72 school year. A full description of the project, evaluation of the results, and conclusions and recommendations are given. The appendixes include statistical information and sample forms used in the project. Some data from the project's inception in 1969 through 1972 are also provided. (TO)

Project Reach introduced into twelve elementary schools a series of reading strategies designed to provide intensive reading skills development for referred first through third grade pupils during the 1971-72 school year. Involving diagnosis of reading difficulty and prescriptive teaching, the program aimed at returning the child to his peer group immediately upon mastery of the skill or skills for which he had been referred. Specifically, the objectives were: (1) to customize reading instruction through the use of differentiated learning materials in the classroom, (2) to inform teachers about a variety of reading instruction approaches and provide training in the use of these approaches, (3) to continue development of a resource center which will distribute materials geared to reach individual reading needs, (4) to provide supportive staff in the project schools for consultative service to teachers and individualized services to pupils, and (5) to facilitate support from parents. The results indicate that from 48 to 92% of the pupils achieved marked or very marked improvement in various reading skill areas; 75% of the teachers who participated utilized flexible teaching styles; and two out of three pupils achieved successful reading performance within the classroom. (TO)

A description of the evaluation plan used in the Reading Improvement Project in Cleveland's target Title I elementary schools is presented. The plan's formation was influenced by two guidelines: (1) the necessity of providing for procedures to overcome threats to the validity of the findings so that some sound assessment of program effects could be made and (2) a desire to remain sensitive and responsive to realities of the school worlds involved--particularly concerns of pupils and staff participating in the project. Three of the critical issues encountered, among many, and the solutions found for them are given. The issues were (1) random assignment of pupils to project services, (2) choice of a model of analysis appropriate to the program's data collection procedures, and (3) the determination of whether or not experimental and control pupils received significantly different final reading marks from their classroom teachers. Covariates and dependent variables used as factors in the evaluation are listed. (Author/NH)

Glenys Hart, Ade Magaji, Margaret Fleming and Natasha Serret reflect on the highlights of the 2021 Online ASE Annual Conference particularly relevant for international delegates.