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Evaluating Large-Scale Grant Initiatives in a District: Helping Districts Create Space for Sustainability
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| Presenter(s):
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| Sheila A Arens, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, sarens@mcrel.org
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| Andrea Beesley, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, abeesley@mcrel.org
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| Susan Shebby, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, sshebby@mcrel.org
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| Abstract:
Using a recently completed evaluation of a grant as a case, evaluators will discuss the successes and challenges associated with school districts' efforts to implement initiatives in line with the intent of the funding. Presenters will briefly discuss an evaluation of an intervention to decrease minority isolation and increase student achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Presenters will then describe a 'case study' of the initiative that enabled examination of the implementation of the district's large-scale grant initiatives. This case is relevant for stakeholders in that it revealed ways that districts can prepare for future grant opportunities and funded initiatives; it is relevant for evaluators in that it can inform how we work with clients as they write and/or begin large-scale grants. Presenters align this advice with the professional practice of evaluation, as indicated in the Program Evaluation Standards.
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The Role of Replication in Evaluating Complex Systems in Education
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| Presenter(s):
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| Tamara M Walser, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, walsert@uncw.edu
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| Michele A Parker, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, parkerma@uncw.edu
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| Emily R Grace, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, gracee@uncw.edu
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| Dawn M Hodges, The Hill School of Wilmington, hodg68@bellsouth.net
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| Abstract:
Given requirements for the implementation of research-based educational programs that can be implemented effectively in diverse educational settings, replication is increasingly important to educators and program evaluators. Although replication is well-supported in educational research and evaluation literature, there is a lack of research on the potential of replication as an evaluation approach to address complex systems such as educational programs and the educational systems within which they are implemented. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the replication of a theory-driven educational model for improving the reading achievement of struggling readers in K-12 public schools, using this as an example of replication as an evaluation approach that is useful when evaluating complex systems in education.
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