Program and Process Evaluation

External program evaluation is a requirement of many federal and state grant programs, and the Alliance has an extensive history of conducting such evaluations.

In addition, many program administrators need timely, objective information about program implementation — from recruitment processes to participants' engagement — in order to enhance delivery, and work with the Alliance to build their own organization's capacity for evaluation.

The Education Alliance has a broad array of tools and resources to facilitate educational decision making, planning, assessment and development efforts. In addition to external program and rigorous evaluations, these resources are applied through consultation activities involving direct services to schools, districts and state education agencies, participatory evaluation support and development, and collaboration on grant writing and evaluation conceptualization and design.

External Program Evaluation

The Education Alliance's external program evaluations are designed to include funders' requirements as well as project directors' needs for high quality information. We work with project staff to craft evaluation questions and logic models that will capture meaningful dimensions of implementation and impact.

Our program evaluations utilize a variety of methods tailored to each program's intent, scale, and priorities. We maintain a broad database of survey questions for teachers, administrators, parents and students that have been extensively piloted in numerous Alliance evaluations. These items cover most topical areas in school reform, such as the nature and impact of professional development, school governance structures, levels of teacher/student satisfaction and parent involvement. In addition, our available instruments are particularly strong in areas of educational equity such as bilingual programming. We have expertise in qualitative methods and data collection techniques, such as classroom observations, focus groups, document analysis, and individual interviews.

Using the latest techniques for evaluation research and presentation of data, we describe areas of strength as well as areas that can be addressed and improved in the short term before their funding expires. Through a process of intensive and open dialogue between evaluators and program administrators, stakeholders and faculty, we provide interim reports and formative feedback as well as annual reports and data presentations. The result of this formative process and careful monitoring is increased program effectiveness.

Examples of recent work include:

Evaluation Consultation

Our work with districts and state education agencies to assess organizational structures and program alignment, to assist and facilitate problem solving processes, and support internal evaluation and data use capabilities draw on the knowledge and skills honed and accumulated through our history of applied research and evaluation and research-based technical assistance. The Alliance offers a wide range of direct services such as strategic mapping, organizational assessment, problem solving processes and program audit services to support and build local capacity for improving teaching and learning.

Alliance staff assist in building internal capacity for evaluation or participate as partners in designing and implementing strategies for self-assessment and reflection. Whether working with community based organizations, school districts or professional organizations, the intent of these activities is to facilitate development processes and support that will help constituents identify issues, design and implement evaluation activities, and use results to take action.

Related Professional Services

• Research & Evaluation Services