Evaluations
Two types of program evaluations are associated with the Engaged Institutions project: cluster evaluation and local evaluation.
Cluster Evaluation
In October 2005, PolicyLink was selected by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to conduct a three-year-long "cluster evaluation" of the four Engaged Institutions university-community partnerships. This evaluation will assess the impacts of these partnerships on vulnerable communities and on the institutionalization of engagement within the universities. The cluster evaluation is intended to maximize the learning for the foundation and the field concerning the processes, outcomes and impacts of these university-based projects. It will provide lessons for grantmaking efforts in higher education, for university-community partnerships, and for the creation of engaged institutions.
The cluster evaluation includes developing a methodology to test the theory of change behind the foundation’s grantmaking efforts, which posits that effective university-community partnerships can work to transform institutions and their broader systems by providing three elements: 1) access and empowerment to the community; 2) models of successful partnership for system-wide adoption; and 3) direct evidence of positive results in knowledge and social outcomes gained through effective and authentic partnerships.
Four questions guide the cluster analysis:
- Can investment by a private foundation catalyze and sustain change in large state university systems?
- What are the key levers for transforming these systems?
- How can universities build authentic partnerships with communities?
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Which models of partnership and engagement prove the most effective in generating positive outcomes and impacts?
In addition to developing the framework for evaluation and collecting data, PolicyLink is creating the infrastructure for a learning network of grantees, enabling them to come together to learn about each others’ projects, circumstances, approaches, and agendas for institutional change. This website is a component of the learning network.
Local Evaluations
In addition to the cluster evaluation, each project will have its own local evaluation. These evaluations concentrate on the direct operations and community outcomes of the grant-funded activities and on "direct" institutionalization issues, such as the prospects for continuation of the particular projects or centers funded under the Engaged Institutions grant. The local evaluations will facilitate the cluster evaluation, which focuses on cross-cutting issues and key questions concerning the community engagement of universities.
Local evaluators for this project include:
Cardoza Consulting, University of Texas at El Paso
Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Ceres Policy Research, University of California, Santa Cruz
Jeff Bridger, Pennsylvania State University
