Relationships between Programming Practices and Outcomes in a Summer Residential School of Gifted Adolescents

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine which practices in a special school for gifted and talented adolescents were associated with ratings of effectiveness of program outcomes. Subjects included 2,213 students attending the five Tennessee Governor's Schools from 1986 to 1988 and the directors of the schools. Questionnaire data collected from the students were compared with internal data gathered via interviews from the school directors to establish which changes in practice influenced students' ratings. Relationships were found between student' ratings of program effectiveness and director' changes in program practices. In addition, yearly evaluation data were compared with three year evaluation data to illustrate potential misinterpretations of program effectiveness. A case is made to expand the time line for program evaluations so the iterative nature of the relationship between practices and outcomes will emerge against the specific program backdrop which includes population characteristics and director decision making.