ESSA Level 4: Getting your foot in the door In my last post, I talked about how the recent American Rescue Plan Act will bring an influx of funds specifically for out-of-school time (OST) — after-school and summer — programs, as well as for community schools and wraparound services. This is a huge win for… Continue reading ESSA Level 4: Getting your foot in the door
Funding is Coming: Get Your Evidence Ready! Here’s a sentence we don’t often get to say in education: the motherlode of funding is coming our way! The recently-passed American Rescue Plan Act has set aside … brace yourself … over $2 BILLION for out-of-school time (OST) — after-school and summer — programs!Not to mention, there… Continue reading Funding is Coming: Get Your Evidence Ready!
Your data tracking cheat sheet In my last post, I talked about how logic models — although they can be a chore — can actually be a great visual roadmap of your program’s components, benchmarks, and goals. Working collaboratively to develop a logic model can be a unifying experience for teams, a way to get… Continue reading Your data tracking cheat sheet
From “Ugh” to “Ooh!” – Reframing Logic Models “Ugh, they’re making us submit a logic model? What is the point of a logic model anyway? “I don’t understand all that technical jargon. What am I supposed to put in a logic model?” These are the thoughts I imagine my clients having when a funder or… Continue reading From “Ugh” to “Ooh!” – Reframing Logic Models
Use Google Maps to explore your data in a new way Isn’t it so gratifying to learn a new skill and get to apply it? One thing I’ve been learning lately is how to use ArcGIS, a super fancy mapping tool that allows you to collect, analyze, and visualize all sorts of data. I’ve talked about… Continue reading Use Google Maps to explore your data in a new way
More than a feeling It’s the end of the year, when we reflect on the past year and look forward to new beginnings. I haven’t done any rigorous data collection about this, but I think it’s fair to assume that most people would rate 2020 as a giant dumpster fire. So let’s take it back… Continue reading More than a feeling
Word Clouds and Key Quotations: Making Qualitative Data Work for You This week I’ve got a co-author to help me continue my qualitative data series! Sarah Dunifon is Founder and Principal Evaluator of Improved Insights LLC, an educational evaluation firm focused on STEM and youth-based programming. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio and is a fellow board member… Continue reading Word Clouds and Key Quotations: Making Qualitative Data Work for You
Numbers Can’t Tell the Whole Story You should know by now that I’m a bit of a data nerd. I love spreadsheets. I love organizing data and using it to illuminate patterns. I love the “ah-ha” moments when clients realize how much their own data can tell them about the kids and families they’re serving. … Continue reading Numbers Can’t Tell the Whole Story
Survey Fails … and How to Recover from Them Sometimes you launch a survey, and you’re blown away by the number of responses you get. And sometimes, you’re not. I had one of these moments last week. I was SUPER excited to try something new with my blog and launch a survey to hear what… Continue reading Survey Fails … and How to Recover from Them
Tips and Tricks for Great Survey Design … and a Survey for You We have all taken TONS of surveys in our lifetime. We get surveys when we make an online purchase, when we speak with a customer service agent, when we want to get a free gift card, and even when we go to… Continue reading Tips and Tricks for Great Survey Design … and a Survey for You