Welcome to aea365! Please take a moment to review our new community guidelines. Learn More.

PreK-12 Ed Eval TIG Week: Lessons Learned: Choosing Software for Analyzing Large Educational Datasets by Kinsey Simone

Have you ever wanted to evaluate a large educational survey dataset but were stuck on which statistical software would be the best to use? Then this may be the blog post for you! My name is Kinsey Simone, and I am an instructor of Quantitative Research Methods and Educational Assessment at Tennessee Tech University. I am set to earn my PhD in Program Planning & Evaluation in August 2023 and have spent the past several weeks deep in analysis of a large educational dataset. I learned a few advantages and disadvantages for using some of the most popular software packages, including IBM SPSS, R Software, and AM software, which I am sharing with you.

PreK-12 Ed Eval TIG Week: Use Surveys Sparingly when Collecting Data in School Districts by Mya Martin-Glenn

Hello. My name is Mya Martin-Glenn. I’m the Webmaster for the PreK-12 Educational Evaluation Topical Interest Group (TIG) and have worked for the past 13 years in Aurora Public Schools in Aurora, the last 9 of which have been as the Assessment Director for the District. Lately, we have noticed the surveys our district administers have gotten low response rates. Additionally, we know that we have many evaluators and researchers who want to administer surveys in our district.

PreK-12 Ed Eval TIG Week: All In! Spanning Boundaries to Increase Understanding and Advance Equity by Mark Yu and Christina Lemon

Hello! We are Mark Yu and Christina Lemon from McREL International. In our daily work as evaluator and practitioner, respectively, we aim to bridge boundaries between research and practice and expand ways communities can more effectively collaborate and promote equitable educational student outcomes. One strategy we employ in our work is knowledge brokering.

PreK-12 Ed Eval TIG Week: Actionable Feedback: From Teacher Mentoring to Educational Evaluation by Leigh M. Tolley

Hi there! My name is Leigh M. Tolley, and I am an Assistant Professor of Secondary Education in the College of Education & Human Development at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I am also Program Co-Coordinator, along with Dr. Peter Sheppard, Associate Dean of Research & Strategic Initiatives, and Mrs. Marlene Beard, Interim Director …

PreK-12 Ed Eval TIG Week: Actionable Feedback: From Teacher Mentoring to Educational Evaluation by Leigh M. Tolley Read More »

This is Dedicated to the AEA Volunteers (Past, Present, and Future)! by Zachary Grays

Greetings! My name is Zachary Grays and I am the Membership and Operations Manager here at the American Evaluation Association (AEA). This coming May I will be celebrating 10 years serving AEA, joining a team of many talented staff members who brought AEA to Smithbucklin way back when my fashions were quieter and my hair …

This is Dedicated to the AEA Volunteers (Past, Present, and Future)! by Zachary Grays Read More »

Internal Evaluation TIG Week: Meeting the Moment: Stages of Relationship-Building in Ongoing Internal Evaluation by Kate Satterfield

Hello! My name is Kate Satterfield, and I’m the Deputy Director, Evaluation and Systems Improvement at New Morning, a non-profit that promotes equitable access to contraception in South Carolina. Our flagship program began in 2017 and comprises a network of more than 70 health systems (“partners”) across the state, granted funds to improve the quality of care and provide contraceptive methods regardless of patients’ ability to pay. The program has benefitted from a comprehensive external evaluation of our activities through 2022, conducted by the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation in Women’s Health at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). Where ETSU has the capacity to empirically investigate changes in contraceptive access and use across the state, New Morning’s internal evaluation team, in partnership with technical assistance liaisons assigned to each partner—monitor processes and outputs at partner sites, working with staff to generate inquiry and inform decisions.

Internal Evaluation TIG Week: Huddle Up: Data Huddles for the Collaborative Win! by Jodie Galosy

Hi! I’m Jodie Galosy, Ph.D., an internal evaluator at the Knowles Teacher Initiative, a nonprofit organization that supports a national network of approximately 450 mathematics and science educators in the US. Each year, we choose a cohort of about 35 beginning high school math and science teachers to participate in our five-year Teaching Fellows program that emphasizes collaborative study of teaching and teacher leadership development. Knowles Teaching Fellows who complete the five-year program become Senior Fellows who continue to participate in the Knowles community and receive support for education leadership and improvement. 

Internal Evaluation TIG Week: Evaluation for Leaders by Kylie Hutchison and Chris Lovato

Hello! We’re Chris Lovato, Professor in the School of Population & Public Health at the University of British Columbia, and Kylie Hutchinson, independent evaluation consultant with Community Solutions Planning & Evaluation. 

Are you an internal evaluator looking to get more evaluation buy-in from senior leaders? Or do you have a manager you’d like to better educate about evaluation?