▪ For the Associate Provost and the Office of Institutional Diversity, Brown
University, conducted an organizational assessment of the Third World
Transition Program (TWTP), a pre-orientation program for newly entering, first-
year, minority students at Brown University. The program review collected data on
the program’s mission, operation, and outcomes; identified benefits to program
participants and the Brown University community; and provided
recommendations to the University for improving the program’s effectiveness.
A Brown University Daily Herald article about this evaluation can be read here:
Third World Transition Program--Brown University
▪ For the Boston Higher Education Partnership, conducted an end-of-program
project review of BHEP's GEAR-UP in Boston program. GEAR-UP in Boston is a
collaborative effort on the part of the Boston Public Schools, BHEP, and the
higher education community to promote quality teaching and learning for Boston
students. The goal of BHEP is to assure that Boston students graduate from
high school academically prepared with adequate scholarship assistance to
enroll and succeed in college. To accomplish this, the BHEP matches the
strengths of area institutions of higher education with the needs of public school
teachers and students. The project review gathers evidence from a range of
stakeholders in both the K-12 and higher education communities about the
aggregate effects of the program, with a special emphasis on understanding the
ways that a coordinated multi-partner, multi-stakeholder partnership initiative
enhances the effectiveness of what might otherwise be smaller, more numerous
and multiple school/college sponsored student assistance programs.
▪ For the Massachusetts Department of Education, designed and conducted an
evaluation of School Linked Services, a statewide program that links at-risk
students and their families with supportive social and human services in 40
communities in Massachusetts. The two-year evaluation provided program
designers with recommendations for refining program implementation and for
enhancing program effectiveness.
▪ For the Andrew W Mellon Foundation, conducted a program review of the
Foundation's Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program which has
involved 2700 students at more than 70 colleges and universities in a unique
program that seeks to increase the number of minority students, and others with
a demonstrated commitment to diversity in higher education, to pursue PhDs in
core fields in the Arts and Sciences. The program review gathered information
that documented the 20-year-old program's achievements and challenges;
indicated the effects of the program on participants and program stakeholders;
and provided information that was designed to strengthen the future operation of
the program. The program review investigated how participants and institutions
have been affected by the program; what kinds of program-related challenges
program stakeholders encountered; and what kinds of changes program
stakeholders (i.e., participants, alumni, and coordinators) suggested for refining
and strengthening the program.
▪ For the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Office of Community
Programs, designed and implemented a comprehensive program assessment
and strategic planning initiative for the Massachusetts Area Health Education
Centers (AHEC) network. The statewide AHEC network is designed to
implement community-based programs to improve the supply, distribution,
diversity and quality of health care professionals through community/academic
partnerships, and to improve access to quality health care for underserved areas
and underserved populations.
▪ For the Massachusetts Department of Education and Future Management
Systems, design and conduct a program evaluation of Project FOCUS Academy
(PFA) a state-wide professional development initiative designed to deliver
through on-line courses and in-person technical assistance, professional
development programs for educators, family members, and community
members. Funded under the auspices of the federal Office of Special Education
Programs, PFA assists participating high schools to develop communities of
practice in which school personnel, youth, family members, service agency
personnel and community members acquire the knowledge and skills
necessary to ensure that all students reach high academic achievement,
develop sound career goals, and obtain leadership and self-advocacy skills that
result in successful post-school outcomes.
▪ Conducted a program evaluation of Worcester Public Schools' LSL-Read to
Learn program, an initiative supported by the Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries grant, which is awarded under the auspices of the Federal Department
of Education’s Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality Programs. The
Worcester Public Schools’ LSL-Read to Learn program sought to support
Worcester Pubic Schools’ commitment to improving students’ literacy, raising
students’ test scores, and supporting schools’ improvement plans, by deploying
advanced learning technologies and by enhancing school library collections in
five schools, which serve approximately 6,000 WPS students.
▪ For the Nellie Mae Foundation and Massachusetts Campus Compact, at Tufts
University, designed and conducted a two-year, multi-site, cluster evaluation of
college and university student-provided after-school tutoring programs in
Massachusetts that serve educationally at-risk elementary students.
▪ For the Massachusetts Department of Education, conducted fact-finding visits,
panel reviews, and charter school reviews of Massachusetts’ elementary,
middle, and high schools. Wrote reports for the Commissioner of Education that
documented school challenges and assessed prospects for school
improvement in a range of school districts throughout the state.
▪ For the Boston-based, national philanthropy, the Partnership for Excellence in
Jewish Education (PEJE), designed and conducted a program evaluation of
PEJE’s Resources Development Initiatives Grant Program, a program that
provides technical expertise to day schools by furnishing fundraising consultants
who assist schools to strengthen their schools’ development/fundraising
capacities. Made recommendations to PEJE leaders for enhancing the program’
s long-term effectiveness.
▪ For Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC) and the Corporation for
National and Community Service conducted a summative evaluation of MACC’s
Learn and Serve grant program, a three-year grant program that supports
campus/community partnerships and community-based research projects.
▪ For the Massachusetts Service Alliance, one of the State’s largest not-for profit
organizations, designed and conducted an evaluation of a 50-site, multi-year
youth mentoring initiative funded by the Massachusetts state legislature and the
Corporation for National and Community Service.
▪ For the National Center on Family Homelessness, a national organization that
addresses the needs of homeless families, designed and conducted an
evaluation of a pilot domestic violence prevention program that serves the health,
mental health, and educational needs of families with pre-school aged children.
▪ On behalf of New England Resource Center for Higher Education, conducted
an evaluation of a national-scope faculty development project, “Civic
Engagement in Higher Education: Faculty Professional Service and the
Scholarship of Engagement.”
▪ Evaluated the effectiveness of the Massachusetts Service Alliance’s 26
AmeriCorps programs, throughout Massachusetts.
▪ For the President of Merrimack College, designed and conducted a program
effectiveness assessment of the college’s Urban Resource Institute (URI), a
college-community partnership serving the city of Lawrence and the Merrimack
Valley region. The evaluation proposed recommendations for restructuring URI
and the college’s approach to campus/community partnerships.
▪ For Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC), conducted an evaluation of the
MACC VISTA program, a program designed to assist colleges and universities to
better address the needs of communities through a variety of campus
coordinated community service initiatives.
▪ For the U.S Department of Education’s Regional Laboratory at Brown University,
developed and implemented a program evaluation of a multi-site, urban
educational reform initiative in the Boston public schools.
▪ Designed and implemented a comprehensive evaluation of Indiana Campus
Compact’s Lilly Endowment-sponsored service learning and faculty
development programs serving 30 Indiana college and university campuses.
▪ For Massachusetts Campus Compact and the New England Resource Center
for Higher Education, conducted an evaluation of the MACC Community Service
Directors Think Tank, a two-year professional development initiative offered to 30
Community Service Directors from Massachusetts’ colleges and universities.
▪ For the Massachusetts Service Alliance, designed and conducted a program
evaluation of a 60-site, community- and school-based after-school service
learning initiative.
▪ For the Director of Tufts University’s College of Citizenship and Public Service,
conducted a organizational review of the leadership structure of Massachusetts
Campus Compact, a membership organization of 60 college and university
presidents which is hosted by Tufts University. Provided evidence-based
recommendations for re-structuring the organization’s design and leadership
roles.
▪ For SchoolWorks, LLC, a Boston-area educational consulting company,
conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the Foxboro Regional Charter School,
in preparation for the school’s re-licensing by the Massachusetts Department of
Education.
▪ For the Massachusetts Department of Education, designed and conducted a
two-year cluster evaluation of Project Focus, a multi-agency collaboration
designed to provide pre-service and professional development activities for
educators, parents, students, and other interested stakeholders. Partnering
organizations included the Institute for Community Inclusion, The Federation for
Children with Special Needs, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health,
and the Massachusetts Department of Education.
▪ For the Massachusetts Department of Education – conduct an evaluation of a
Boston-area Charter School to determine the school’s eligibility for re-licensing.
Wrote report for the Board of Education which described the school’s academic,
organizational, leadership capacities.
▪ In partnership with Future Management Systems, conducted and
organizational assessment of the Walker Home and School, a non-profit
organization based in Needham, Massachusetts, that provides a range of
services to emotionally, behaviorally, and learning disabled students and their
families. Provided recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of the
organization’s leadership team and management structure.
▪ Consulted to the Director of School Support Services, Fall River Public Schools
to develop a School Improvement Plan review instrument and review process.
Reviewed the district’s school improvement plans for Fall River’s elementary
schools, and provided recommendations for monitoring the implementation of
school improvement plans.
▪ For SchoolWorks, LLC and Philadelphia Public Schools, conducted data
analysis and wrote report analyzing the effectiveness of Philadelphia’s School
Assistance Teams (SATs) in providing targeted assistance to under-performing
district schools. The report synthesized data collected from 50 School
Assistance Team meetings, and included analysis of quantitative and qualitative
measures of teams’ effectiveness in providing aid to schools.
