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The Impact of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) on Student Academic Preparedness
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| Presenter(s):
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| Kirsten L Rewey, Action Consulting and Evaluation Team (ACET) Inc, kirsten@acetinc.com
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| Joseph Curiel, Action Consulting and Evaluation Team (ACET) Inc, joseph@acetinc.com
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| Michael C Rodriguez, University of Minnesota, mcrdz@tc.umn.edu
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| Stella SiWan Zimmerman, Action Consulting and Evaluation Team (ACET) Inc, stella@acetinc.com
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| Abstract:
A Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) project is currently being implemented in two large, urban school districts in Minnesota. The goal of the federal GEAR UP program is to increase college attendance in traditionally under-represented groups by providing a wide range of college planning and preparation services, academic tutoring, and information on career and postsecondary options to students and their parents. The goal of the evaluation is to determine the impact of the GEAR UP program on student academic preparedness. Program impact will be determined by following a group of GEAR UP 10th grade students and a matched comparison group of students drawn from non-GEAR UP schools in the two districts of implementation and comparing performance between groups on a statewide, high-stakes test (Minnesota’s No Child Left Behind assessment). The presentation will summarize initial impact findings, review evaluation successes and challenges, and describe lessons learned.
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Evaluation Quality From an Unexpected Combination: How Evaluation Management, a Participative Process, and Program Theory Enhanced the Development of a Cost Analysis Framework
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| Presenter(s):
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| Kathryn Hill, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, kathy.hill@state.mn.us
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| Abstract:
This paper presentation will describe the development of a cost analysis framework for a college access program evaluation, from the perspective of an internal evaluation manager of a large, multi-site evaluation. The primary evaluation activity to be discussed is the interactive process of involving program staff in the articulation of program theory through guided interviews facilitated by external evaluators. The guided interview tool will be shared, along with key findings.
The preliminary results of this collaborative effort between internal evaluation manager, external evaluation contractors, and program staff include the estimated average cost per participant of the program and the estimated program costs by activity (i.e., program component). The developed framework will be linked in the future with a separate but interdependent research study investigating the relationship between program participation, student perceptions, and student academic outcomes.
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