How We Help
We help you ask the right questions, collect credible and trustworthy data, and make effective decisions about where to go next. Our work focuses on the following areas:
PreK-12 Education
We collaborate with educators to strengthen interventions and improve student learning in a variety of areas including: STEM education; professional development and training; arts education; school reform; after school and enrichment programming; special education; gifted education; and grant-based programs and services.
Arts & Culture
We work with arts and cultural institutions to examine the implementation and social impact of programs and initiatives in preK-12 education, museums and cultural centers, communities and neighborhoods, and government and nonprofit agencies.
Foundations & Philanthropy
We partner with foundations and grantmaking organizations to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their strategic initiatives and social investments. We also provide technical assistance and capacity building training for grantees and foundation staff.
Higher Education
We collaborate with colleges and universities on short-term and long-term institutional research projects, evaluations of programmatic and research grants, and surveys of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and donors.
Health & Human Services
We work with government agencies and nonprofits to advance the wellbeing of vulnerable populations through research and evaluation. Our focus areas include: health and wellness; financial health and literacy; children, youth and family services; and aging and disabilities.
Corporate Sector
We partner with businesses to conduct needs assessments, analyze gaps in performance, and survey staff, customers, and other critical stakeholders.
What We Offer
We work closely with you to craft a project that will answer your most pressing questions. We have expertise in both quantitative and qualitative methods, and our reports are tailored to meet the needs of your stakeholders. Our services include:
Evaluation
We conduct rigorous mixed-methods evaluations that are designed to help you learn more about both the implementation and impact of your initiatives. We take a collaborative approach to our evaluations, recognizing that working closely with our clients results in more credible and actionable findings. Our areas of expertise include: formative and summative evaluation; developmental evaluation; collective impact evaluation; process and implementation evaluation; participatory approaches to evaluation; and monitoring and adaptive management.
Surveys
We partner with you to conduct reliable and valid surveys measuring knowledge and skills, attitudes and opinions, behaviors, experiences, and stakeholder satisfaction. We can work with you from start to finish and have expertise in survey design and construction, psychometric analysis, survey administration, data management and analysis, and utilization-focused reporting.
Applied & Action Research
We collaborate with you to design and conduct applied research, including problem-solving and action research, to meet your organization's information needs. We have expertise in the following approaches: descriptive, correlational, and experimental research; appreciative inquiry and positive deviance; gap analysis and needs assessment; participatory action research; case study research; and promising practices research.
Capacity-Building
We facilitate strategic thinking sessions designed to help you conceptualize your programs and initiatives. We also offer technical assistance and training in the areas of evaluation, logic models and theories of change, data presentation and visualization, survey design and administration, and data analysis.