Build your evidence base ... for free!
You may have heard about ESSA's evidence-based requirements, but what does that mean for your small nonprofit?
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Every year, too much funding goes unspent or goes to things that don’t work. Small organizations like yours have a major opportunity to use these funds to get long-term financial stability and reach more families.
Federal education funds, like Title I, must be spent on programs and practices that demonstrate results. To demonstrate results, programs need to meet ESSA’s requirements to be evidence based.
What does that mean for programs working with students and families, like yours? It means that you need to become an evidence-based program.
Don't worry - it isn’t as hard as it sounds.
The Evidence for Engagement email series will walk you through the steps you need to take to meet ESSA's evidence requirements.
Federal education funds, like Title I, must be spent on programs and practices that demonstrate results. To demonstrate results, programs need to meet ESSA’s requirements to be evidence based.
What does that mean for programs working with students and families, like yours? It means that you need to become an evidence-based program.
Don't worry - it isn’t as hard as it sounds.
The Evidence for Engagement email series will walk you through the steps you need to take to meet ESSA's evidence requirements.
What will I get out of this mini-course?
- A roadmap for how to leverage the ESSA evidence requirements as an opportunity for organizational growth,
- Clear direction through videos that walk you through the process to become eligible for funding as an evidence-based program,
- Tools that work, including worksheets and frameworks to guide your progress, and
- Success stories of organizations who used evaluation (and particularly ESSA) as a chance to grow their organization and impact.
Who is this program for?
This free email series is designed for youth- and family-serving organizations that may not know how to start measuring their impact.
We are especially interested in serving small, community-based, and/or minority-owned organizations who may not be able to budget for evaluation.
We are especially interested in serving small, community-based, and/or minority-owned organizations who may not be able to budget for evaluation.
What topics will this mini-course cover?
Each week, you'll receive new lessons sent right to your inbox. Here's what will be covered each week:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 1
- ESSA's evidence-based requirement and how to be eligible for federal education funding,
- Figuring out your own organization's current evidence level, and
- Stories of programs we've worked with that have become evidence-based -- and maximized their impact on students and families.
Week 2
- Developing a logic model that maps your program activities to your desired outcomes for the communities you serve,
- Uncovering the wealth of data that your organization likely already has, and
- Using that data to tell your organization's story of its impact on children and families.
Week 3
- Exploring the road map to becoming an official evidence-based program at your local district, and
- Creating an action plan for how your organization can complete each step of the road map.
Who are the presenters?
Tamara Hamai and I have teamed up to develop Evidence for Engagement. Read more about us below!
Amanda Klein-Cox
I'm the Owner of Structured Solutions Educational Consulting, LLC. I'm also a researcher and professor, focusing on family and community engagement. Here's what my former colleagues and clients had to say about my work: “I loved working with Amanda! She is extremely organized, quick to respond, reliable and efficient. During this time, I was also able to observe Amanda collaborating with families and community partners. In this capacity, she advocated for families and students, encouraged effective partnerships, and showed compassion for the people she worked with.” "With Amanda's guidance, we were able to look closely at our program data, identify key research and gather persuasive evidence that supports the impact of our program, and develop a programmatic logic model that clearly articulates our goals, objectives, and how we help our school partners increase family engagement and student success. We were able to qualify for an ESSA evidence-based intervention tier that matched our goals and ultimately led to a board-approved annual contract that exceeded our expectations. Structured Solutions helped us cross a partnership threshold that will make a difference for our team, and the students we're now able to serve, for years to come." |
Tamara Hamai
Tamara is the Owner and President of Hamai Consulting. A developmental psychologist by training, Tamara is a skilled evaluator, researcher, educator, and consultant. Here's what her former clients had to say about her work: “Hamai Consulting has provided us with great direction and evaluation results for our organization. They were a great partner to work with and assisted us to really assessing our programs and goals, in turn helping us really focus on our mission and vision for creating new leaders and revitalizing our community!” “Hamai Consulting was skillful in working with youth, youth social justice programs and using popular education methods... Hamai Consulting immediately won the trust of program staff with a warm, authentic presence and a transparent, inclusive approach to the evaluation process. Consequently, the evaluation questions asked and the data collected really addressed issues that were important to AFSC and program staff. Because staff were consulted throughout the process and felt like respected partners, they were open and receptive to feedback and recommendations from the evaluation report." |
Hear from past clients:"Amanda's penchant for systems thinking was a value-add to the school and organization. She designed a system that allowed the school to track student attendance more effectively and identify underlying trends in student absenteeism. This ... serves as just one example of how her ingenuity streamlines work and increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the organizations she works with."
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