Transforming Performance Cultures
Higher Education
Social Competence Evaluation for Professional Graduate Education
A growing dispute at a mid-west graduate school on how to prepare students to engage and thrive in a diverse context reached an inflection point. An opportunity was created when there was an unsettled internal debate about what preparation method to use. Direct engagement about issues proved to be too divisive and counterproductive. Indirect methods generated a passive response to issues and low satisfaction with the learning outcomes. There was a consensus that all students should be required to possess diversity, equity, and inclusion competencies. However, faculty were divided about the approach and methods.
An evaluation was requested to help the school identify an approach that used methods to achieve desired outcomes that could be validated. The school wanted the courses evaluated but had no solution. An evaluation of the methods involved comparing student groups' before and after results representing the different approaches for each course. Different program formats for the student groups were also compared with the results. The students were assessed using high-quality instruments based on their cognitive development and other social competencies for effective engagement. The school reviewed the findings, selected an approach to improve learning outcomes, and demonstrated improved preparedness for engagement in a diverse context.
Non-Profit Organizations
Program Evaluation for High-Risk Youth Intervetions
A Christian community-based organization in a major city created a program to address high youth unemployment, high school dropout rates, and poor academic performance. The intervention was designed to provide youth temporary employment during the program's first phase. The first phase involved youth collecting aluminum cans in the community and processing the cans for recycling. While working, youth were required to stay in school and attend training as a condition of employment. Training consisted of one-on-one counseling, employability training, and academic tutoring. The second phase involved working within the community with a local business. Business owners were struggling to keep youth employed in the community. A local foundation providing three-year funding required that the organization use an external evaluator to assess the program each year. The organization believed that their approach to the intervention would be successful because of the integration of religious values and was uncertain that an evaluator would recognize these factors. A three-year evaluation using objective and subjective measures validated the effectiveness of their program with at-risk youth. It also captured the unique elements of their core religious values and how they were a factor in the organization achieving the program outcomes.
School District Needs Assessment
P-12 Education Assessments
Superintendents at a suburban school district were perplexed about the sudden stand-off at the school board meeting between parents and the board about issues of inter-ethnic conflict. Students, parents, and teachers did not share the same perceptions about how underlying issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The parents and the board agreed that the school officials and administrators needed to conduct an assessment to understand the nature of the problem. An assessment to define the problem required a large-scale evaluation involving the parents, teachers, and students. Multiple and mixed evaluative methods were applied to collect and analyze data from various sources. The process included inviting parents from across the community to participate. The efforts projected a positive image that the school officials were taking community DEI concerns seriously and using objective methods for an assessment. Specifically, parents commented that they were happy that convenient times for their education and input about diversity was a priority. The board received an official report of the method to ensure everyone in the school district had an opportunity to learn and be respected. Although the report suggested that DEI issues must be addressed, the recommendations helped them choose a pathway toward providing a solution for the community members.
