By Leah
Greetings from my sabbatical! From Dec. 15-January 31, I am catching up on the mountain of "that looks interesting" reading that has been piling up on my desk for... years. My goal is to learn new approaches in planning, evaluation and research that our clients can benefit from.
December 17, 2008 - 3:59pm
November 26, 2008 - 1:29pm
Presenter Leah Goldstein Moses - The Improve Group
October 22, 2008 - 8:51am
At The Improve Group, we work with surveys and survey data nearly every day. Surveys are a great method for reaching a large audience in a cost-effective manner, but they also have their drawbacks. The people you’re interested in reaching are not always motivated to take the survey and return it back to you.
April 21, 2008 - 11:43am
Chicago Opera Theater's Opera for All program brings professional performers into K-12 Chicago classrooms for a rigorous opera experience tied to the Theater's premier performance of the season. This year, Chicago Opera Theater is debuting a new opera called A Flowering Tree. Each class learned about the opera itself, as well as musical concepts, culture and the arts and the history and context of opera as an art form. Each class has a culminating performance -- with student responsibilities including writing, performing, directing, and set and costume design.
February 15, 2008 - 10:56am
Here is a tale for anyone that has been surprised by evaluation results:
February 8, 2008 - 11:09am
by Leah Goldstein Moses
In our evaluation and strategic planning work, we are increasingly emphasizing "authentic" data when developing a design with our clients. What I mean by authentic data is that as often as possible, we ask people directly how they have experienced a service and changed as a result. When the people experiencing a service are young kids, or have a different language or cultural reference from the person who is doing the study, it is vitally important to check to make sure you are interpreting results correctly.
February 7, 2008 - 3:40pm
In junior high school, did you ever feel like you were alone in this world, that no one really understood you? Well, welcome to the world of evaluation where being an “outsider” can be a good thing! December 21, 2007 - 1:05pm
On Dec. 12, 2007 a new executive order initiated a review of nearly every federal agency to determine:
1. If the agency targets were suitably outcome-oriented; and
2. If measures are appropriate for each target
November 14, 2007 - 10:46am
Last week, Marian and I attended the American Evaluation Association’s annual conference in Baltimore. The theme of the conference was “learning to evaluate…evaluating to learn.” Throughout the four-day conference, we were charged to learn new skills and reflect on the many ways that evaluators learn from our clients in the course of our work together. Looking back, I’m amazed at all that I had gained in a few short days.
November 13, 2007 - 9:11am
Two recent studies have found conflicting conclusions on whether the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is pressuring educators in struggling schools to focus on students who fall just below the passing threshold on state tests (i.e. bubble kids) at the expense of students at the high and low end of the achievement spectrum.