MIT Terrascope Youth Radio, Cambridge, MA
GRG is in the second year of a four-year process and outcome evaluation of Terrascope Youth Radio, an NSF-funded project in which urban teens develop, report, write, produce, and host a regularly broadcast radio program on environmental and Earth-system science. Participating teens report on science topics that are engaging and relevant to their lives at the same time as they learn radio production skills. In addition to providing interactive learning experiences for local teens, the initiative aims to serve as an impetus to increase coverage of environmental science, and other STEM topics, in youth radio programming nationally. Finally, the program proposes to establish a model for university researchers and students to engage and work with youth in their communities.

National Academy of Engineers, Washington, DC
GRG is in the fourth year of a five-year evaluation of the Engineering Equity Extension Services (EEES), a new comprehensive research-based consultative and peer mentoring infrastructure that will support enhanced gender equity in engineering education in the U.S. The evaluation began with activities and is currently focusing summatively on outcomes for participants.                                                                                                                                                                                                

National Geographic Society, Pittsburgh, PA

GRG is providing formative evaluation consultation as part of a planning grant that the National Geographic Society (NGS) has received from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. NGS and a consortium of informal and formal education institutions in the Pittsburgh area have come together to plan how they can best educate Pittsburgh students about climate change. The partners seek to leverage their various resources in order to mount a project with three large components involving professional development for teachers, programs for middle school students, and family/public outreach. Current consortium members are: Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, Phipps Conservancy, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh Zoo, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, National Aviary, Allegany County Schools, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pittsburgh.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

National Safety Council, Itasca, IL
GRG is conducting a comprehensive, multi-pronged evaluation of the National Safety Council Standard First Aid, CPR, and AED training program — a U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA-mandated program used in business, industry, school, and community setting across the U.S. and internationally.  The evaluation team is employing diverse techniques for collecting and analyzing data, including both quantitative and qualitative methods.  These include a web-based survey of instructors, in-class observations of instructors and course participants, CPR skill assessments of course participants immediately following training, end-of-class written survey of course participants, and a web-based follow up survey of course participants. The information gained from the evaluation will serve to inform the development of priorities and strategies for the revision of the course and course materials, as well as development and refinement of education and evaluation methodologies.         

Ohio State University, Lima, OH

It’s About Discovery is a STEM curriculum for students in grades 8–10 developed by OSU Lima and funded by NSF’s ITEST program. The program, founded on new science modules from the Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (PAS) curriculum, aims to extend student readiness to engage in STEM careers and equip teachers to use a challenging curriculum that brings STEM careers and content to life; technology is integrated throughout the program. GRG’s external summative evaluation is focusing on changes in student knowledge of and attitudes about STEM subjects, skills, and careers and teacher knowledge of how to educate students on these topics; we also examine student and teacher attitudes toward technology.

                                                                                     

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
GRG's evaluation of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program in Indiana is in its third year of a five-year grant. The LSAMP Indiana program was established in 2003, uniting Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue Calumet, IUPUI, Ball State, and Indiana University Bloomington in their goals to increase the number of underrepresented minority students earning baccalaureate degrees in STEM. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the program recently entered Phase II of its implementation. The current Phase II goal is to triple the number of baccalaureate degrees earned by program participants within the next five years. GRG’s evaluation is gathering process and feedback data to assess the successes of the program.

Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education, Arlington, VA

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, administered by the Triangle Coalition and the Department of Energy–Office of Science, offers outstanding K–12 mathematics, technology, and science teachers the opportunity to serve in the public policy arena. Fellows bring their expertise to Congress and appropriate branches of federal government and gain insights into national educational issues that can then be brought back to the classroom. GRG’s evaluation is examining the impact of the program not only on the Einstein Fellows themselves, but on the federal branches in which the Fellows serve and the schools to which the Fellows return. These outcomes include the Fellows’ familiarity with national STEM policy, legislation, and funding opportunities; the value added to the host branch of having a Fellow; and the benefits to the school and district to which the Fellow returns.

University of California, Los Angeles, CA
A Systems Response to Improving Education on Aging in California (SAGE), a gerontology core curricula, is being developed by UCLA for gerontology, social work, and nursing programs in both two- and four-year colleges. This U.S. Department of Education FIPSE-funded project aims to address the need to prepare a skilled and representative workforce to provide quality services and care to older Californians. GRG is in the third and final year of evaluation. Many aspects of the project are being evaluated, including the management structure developed for the project, the Manual of Procedures, and the faculty development program.

University of California, Jacobs School of Engineering, San Diego, CA
GRG has conducted both formative and summative evaluation of an NSF ITEST project (Information Technology – Engineering and Environmental Education Tools -- IT-E3) that features the use of environmental sensors, and includes: 1) a teacher training program with ongoing support; and 2) a curriculum that will be developed by teacher participants. Formative evaluation gathered feedback to improve the professional development and curriculum lessons. Summative data has been used to help determine the influence the program is having on teachers and students, including student interest in and knowledge of STEM.

University of California, Biobridge, San Diego, CA
The BioBridge professional development model, developed by educators and scientists at the University of California, San Diego, consists of a four-phase training model for high school science teachers. The four-phase model was developed over three years by using an iterative process. In 2008 the BioBridge team and GRG were awarded a research grant form the United States Department of Education to conduct a study of the BioBridge model. The purpose of the study is to gather data that can be used to systematize and strengthen the existing BioBridge training. Evaluation activities include surveys, observations, and a secondary analysis of student test scores. The final deliverable for the project is an Implementation Manual that can be used to replicate the BioBridge model and GRG’s evaluation in other sites.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 University of California, National Science Festival Network, San Diego, CA
GRG is conducting a multi-method process and summative evaluation to demonstrate the success of the National Science Festival Network project. Science Festivals are currently held annually at San Diego, CA and Cambridge, MA. Two new sites will be added to this network in the upcoming year – Bay area, CA and Philadelphia, PA. GRG will contribute to all of the coalition conference meetings planned for the project, as well as the NSFN Web site. GRG’s process evaluation will focus on Planning and Implementation Variables, Festival and Year-Round Event Variables, Audience Variables (by Festival site), and Network variables. During the three years of the evaluation, GRG will carry out summative evaluation activities that explore the success of the four Festivals and hands-on science experiences that participating K-12 children have with local scientists. In addition, GRG will conduct online focus groups each year with key staff, key partners, and key collaborators from each Festival site. During the third year, GRG will carry out the evaluation of the Networking/Collaboration Support Services offered by the NSFN.                                                                                                                                                                                                      

WETA-TV, Arlington, VA
GRG is in the eighth year of evaluating Reading Rockets, a national multimedia project for teachers and parents that disseminates resources and information focused on helping children learn to read. The resources include four Web sites, professional development opportunities and a yearly PBS television program that focuses on a particular aspect of literacy. In this year’s summative evaluation, in addition to evaluating Reading Rockets accessibility and utility of the site overall, a recruited group of teachers not familiar with the site will actively use and evaluate the professional development resources for teachers.

WGBH-TV, Boston, MA

Since 1992, GRG has conducted numerous evaluations of public TV programs, web sites, educational print materials, and outreach initiatives developed by WGBH. Currently, GRG is evaluating NOVA ScienceNOW season 4 (having previously evaluated the first three seasons), and the children's series PEEP.  Following is a partial list of current and past projects that GRG evaluated for various WGBH departments (e.g., Educational Print and Outreach, Children’s Programming): Africans in America, Arthur, Between the Lions, Building Big, Design Squad, Einstein’s Big Idea, Fetch, Lives in Science, NOVA ScienceNOW, Oliver Twist, Peep and the Big Wide World, Saved by the Sun, and ZOOM.

Return to Top