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“Catch 'Em Being Good” Cooperative Extension Service Teams Up with Schools to Promote and Evaluate the School Wide Positive Behavior Support Program
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| Presenter(s):
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| Kerri Wade,
West Virginia University,
kerri.wade@mail.wvu.edu
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| Allison Nichols,
West Virginia University,
ahnichols@mail.wvu.edu
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| Abstract:
In collaboration with the West Virginia Board of Education, the West Virginia Extension Service developed an evaluation model for measuring the success of the School Wide Positive Behavior Support Program (SWPBS) in elementary schools throughout West Virginia. In this model, the county Extension agent serves in two supportive roles for the core team, made up of school administrators, teachers, and support staff: coach and evaluator. Other Extension educators support the county agent by providing technical assistance. The results of the program evaluation showed decreases in the number of disciplinary referrals over four years at Grandview Elementary School in Charleston, WV, while the collaborative evaluation process resulted in a successful SWPBS model that has been institutionalized throughout West Virginia's educational system. This presentation will illustrate an excellent example of a state university, through its Cooperative Extension Service, affecting systematic change in a state institution through a systematic evaluation effort.
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An Innovative Approach for Building Evaluation Capacity of Grassroots Level Financial Educators Including Extension Agents
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| Presenter(s):
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| Koralalage Jayaratne,
North Carolina State University,
jay_jayaratne@ncsu.edu
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| Angela Lyons,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
anglyons@uiuc.edu
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| Lance Palmer,
University of Georgia,
lpalmer@uga.edu
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| Abstract:
A study revealed that the grassroots level financial educators including the Extension educators who deliver financial education programs do not have adequate skills or necessary tools to evaluate their educational programs. The National Endowment for Financial Education supported a project to address this need nationally. Under this project, an online evaluation resource kit was developed to help financial educators. The resource kit has two major components. The first component is an online database for designing customized evaluation tools. The database has various evaluation options. The second component is a guiding manual to help users understand basic evaluation concepts and instructions for using the evaluation database. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how this online resource kit can be used to build the evaluation capacity of Extension educators. This project contributes to the Extension evaluation practice by providing an innovative evaluation resource kit to Extension educators.
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A Recipe for Understanding Food Safety: Using a Concept-oriented Theoretical Frame for Eliciting Adult Food Service Employees' Prior Knowledge
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| Presenter(s):
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| Jason Ellis,
University of Nebraska, Lincoln,
jellis2@unl.edu
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| Abstract:
The Extension system in many states is responsible for training foodservice employees to properly handle food, with intentions of reducing the likelihood of food borne illnesses. Despite training, foodservice employees—including workers in schools, hospitals, and restaurants—consistently fail to comply adequately with core tenets for safe food handling. This evaluative study combined two novel educational theories to produce a compelling portrait of previously unknown educational needs and opportunities of (adult) foodservice workers by investigating the first phase of curriculum design: elaboration of prior knowledge. Developing an evaluative study using a theoretical foundation that incorporates multiple disciplines can yield fresh insights into a problem, in this situation an understanding of the poor uptake of conventional training that has eluded other researchers. These results illuminate the necessity for including participants' prior knowledge in needs assessments so that program developers consciously consider how best to teach the learner, not just present the content.
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Evaluating Oregon's Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program: Issues in Capacity Building and Compliance
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| Presenter(s):
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| Marc Braverman,
Oregon State University,
marc.braverman@oregonstate.edu
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| Lauren Tobey,
Oregon State University,
lauren.tobey@oregonstate.edu
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| Carolyn Raab,
Oregon State University,
raabc@oregonstate.edu
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| Jill Murray,
Oregon State University,
jill.murray@oregonstate.edu
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| Sally Bowman,
Oregon State University,
bowmans@oregonstate.edu
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| Abstract:
This paper will discuss challenges and approaches used by Oregon State University's Extension Family and Community Development Program in evaluating Oregon's Food Stamp Nutrition Education program. Funded by USDA, FSNE is a major program within Oregon, serving 19,800 people in 2005 through schools, housing complexes, food pantries, and other settings. Evaluation information required and funded by USDA emphasizes program outputs; outcome evaluation is encouraged but little specific guidance has been provided. Consequently, state-coordinated attempts at outcome evaluation have been somewhat uneven, and local program information needs have been largely overlooked. The most successful instance of outcome evaluation was an approach developed and coordinated at the state level for sessions delivered at school sites. This paper will describe Oregon Extension's experience in evaluating FSNE, and analyze directions for future improvement. It will examine how evaluations can satisfy information needs of federal funders, state audiences (legislators, administrators, etc.), and local program staff.
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