Follow Through Program 1975-1976.

This paper describes and evaluates the Follow Through Program in New York City. Although centrally coordinated at the Center for School Development of the Board of Education of the City of New York, each Follow Through Program is based on a different educational model, and in all cases but one, each model is sponsored by an educational institution or agency independent of the Board of Education. This evaluation report is based on two major sources of information. One is a series of over 100 site visits to each Follow Through Program in a public school. Interviews with staff members were an important component of site visits. The second source of information for this evaluation is reading test results from 1975-1976 and previous years for both Follow Through children and a control group of non-Follow Through children. Major sections of this report include: (1) a description of the characteristics of Follow Through which form the philosophical core of the program, (2) an evaluation of out-of-classroom segments of the program such as health services, (3) an examination of instructional programs, and (4) evaluations of programs at each individual site. Generally it was found that the Follow Through Program met its goals. Reading scores were higher for Follow Through as compared to non-Follow Through students. When the programs were observed individually, it was found that certain models functioned systematically better than other models. The goals of most of the social services were met despite reductions in the number of professional personnel. (Author/AM)