BACKGROUND Seventeen states enacted graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs that were implemented from 1996 through 1999 and for which evaluations are of interest. METHODS We received evaluation results reported for six states for which data were available. Summarizing results is difficult in other than the most global terms because of differences in pre-GDL programs, differences in GDL pro...

Is counter-terrorism policy evidence-based? What works, what harms, and what is unknown. One of the central concerns surrounding counter-terrorism interventions today, given the attention and money spent on them, is whether such interventions are effective. To explore this issue, we conducted a general review of terrorism literature as well as a Campbell systematic review on counter-terrorism s...

BACKGROUND In-training evaluation reports (ITERs) are used by over 90% of postgraduate medical training programs in Canada for resident assessment. Our study examined the perspectives of faculty and residents in one pediatric program as a means to improve the ITER as an evaluation tool. METHOD Two separate focus groups were conducted, one with eight pediatric residents and one with nine clini...

Aiming to develop a utilization-focused evaluation approach, this article presents the process of developing culturally competent evaluation guidelines for Tobacco Control programs with American Indian/Alaska Natives, African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanic/Latinos, LGBT, low-socioeconomic status populations, and rural populations. Through literature reviews and an interactive proc...

This paper proposes ten steps to make evaluations matter. The ten steps are a combination of the usual recommended practice such as developing program theory and implementing rigorous evaluation designs with a stronger focus on more unconventional steps including developing learning frameworks, exploring pathways of evaluation influence, and assessing spread and sustainability. Consideration of...

Even prior to passage of federal welfare reform, many demonstration programs anticipated key features of the 1996 law, such as "work-first" strategies, time limits on welfare receipt, and financial incentives to work. Over the past decade, 10 experimental evaluations of these programs have extended their studies to examine the impacts on children. This article provides a synthesis of findings f...

This article describes a complex study designed to assess the efficacy of two faculty development programs, one extended three-year program and one intensive five-day summer workshop, which were intended to help faculty members learn about, design, and implement active, student-centered teaching techniques. The authors note that faculty development programs are typically evaluated through parti...

In 1996, a Federal law required the U.S. Attorney General to provide Congress with an independent review of the Many crime prevention programs work. Others don’t. Most programs have not yet been evaluated with enough scientific evidence to draw conclusions. Enough evidence is available, however, to create provisional lists of what works, what doesn’t, and what’s promising. Those lists will grow...