| Session Title: Using Baseline Assessment to Build Evaluation Capacity and Foster Organizational Learning as Part of a Transformative Change Process |
| Demonstration Session 859 to be held in Schaefer Room on Saturday, November 10, 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM |
| Sponsored by the Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Srik Gopalakrishnan, The Ball Foundation, srik@ballfoundation.org |
| Michael Palmisano, The Ball Foundation, mpalmisano@ballfoundation.org |
| Rex Babiera, The Ball Foundation, rbabiera@ballfoundation.org |
| Abstract: The Ball Foundation works in partnership with school districts to increase literacy achievement for all students by improving the professional practice of educators. While the end-goal of this effort is literacy for all students, the foundation primarily sees itself as building the organizational capacity of the school system to facilitate transformative change. The first year in a five-year long partnership is an `inquiry and engagement' phase leading up to a partnership work plan. A key facet of the inquiry and engagement phase is baseline assessment of the school district's organizational capacity. While the primary purpose of this assessment is to inform partnership planning and lay out a baseline 'reference' point, the foundation believes that it's more than just a data-collection exercise - it's the beginning of the overall transformative change process. Hence, the foundation views baseline assessment as an intentional means of building evaluation capacity and fostering organizational learning. |