Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) has gained national momentum. The authors first present a national scene of QRIS and then use Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County as a case study to illustrate a number of things. First, they look at the logic model behind the QRIS. Next, they review the design and implementation of the QRIS in the context of partnership and systems thinking. Finally, they provide an evaluation design and findings. The book is useful for policy makers, administrators of early and education at various levels, researchers, and others who seek to improve early care and education.

Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) has gained national momentum. The authors first present a national scene of QRIS and then use Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County as a case study to illustrate a number of things. First, they look at the logic model behind the QRIS. Next, they review the design and implementation of the QRIS in the context of partnership and systems thinking. Finally, they provide an evaluation design and findings. The book is useful for policy makers, administrators of early and education at various levels, researchers, and others who seek to improve early care and education.

Classification and regression trees (CART) is one of the several contemporary statistical techniques with good promise for research in many academic fields. There are very few books on CART, especially on applied CART. This book, as a good practical primer with a focus on applications, introduces the relatively new statistical technique of CART as a powerful analytical tool. The easy-to-understand (non-technical) language and illustrative graphs (tables) as well as the use of the popular statistical software program (SPSS) appeal to readers without strong statistical background. This book helps readers understand the foundation, the operation, and the interpretation of CART analysis, thus becoming knowledgeable consumers and skillful users of CART. The chapter on advanced CART procedures not yet well-discussed in the literature allows readers to effectively seek further empowerment of their research designs by extending the analytical power of CART to a whole new level. This highly practical book is specifically written for academic researchers, data analysts, and graduate students in many disciplines such as economics, social sciences, medical sciences, and sport sciences who do not have strong statistical background but still strive to take full advantage of CART as a powerful analytical tool for research in their fields.

Classification and regression trees (CART) is one of the several contemporary statistical techniques with good promise for research in many academic fields. There are very few books on CART, especially on applied CART. This book, as a good practical primer with a focus on applications, introduces the relatively new statistical technique of CART as a powerful analytical tool. The easy-to-understand (non-technical) language and illustrative graphs (tables) as well as the use of the popular statistical software program (SPSS) appeal to readers without strong statistical background. This book helps readers understand the foundation, the operation, and the interpretation of CART analysis, thus becoming knowledgeable consumers and skillful users of CART. The chapter on advanced CART procedures not yet well-discussed in the literature allows readers to effectively seek further empowerment of their research designs by extending the analytical power of CART to a whole new level. This highly practical book is specifically written for academic researchers, data analysts, and graduate students in many disciplines such as economics, social sciences, medical sciences, and sport sciences who do not have strong statistical background but still strive to take full advantage of CART as a powerful analytical tool for research in their fields.