Evaluation Services
CEED’s approach to evaluation is client-centered and adheres to the highest research standards and data management strategies to benefit young children and those who care for them. CEED provides a credible and objective source for determining program effectiveness through external program evaluations.
CEED has conducted rigorous program evaluations for Federal and State agencies, private foundations, school districts, and non-profits agencies. Process and outcome evaluations range from specific program elements to large scale multi-site evaluations.
Content expertise offered through CEED’s faculty and researchers includes:
- Social-emotional development and mental health;
- Early literacy and language assessment and intervention;
- Child development;
- Children with disabilities and special needs;
- School readiness assessments;
- Early care and education policy;
- Early reading first programs;
- Early care to 3rd grade (pK-3) connections;
- Response to intervention (RtI) programs;
- Community partnerships and programming; and
- Applied research collaboratives to benefit vulnerable populations.
Key Components of CEED Evaluation Services
Evaluation services offered by CEED are driven by project, client, and stakeholder needs and focus on identifying key performance measures to capture program effectiveness:
- Evaluation consultation to inform program and evaluation planning and capacity building;
- Evaluation planning and development (e.g., strategic planning, logic model and evaluation plan development) and careful evaluation design (e.g., experimental, quasi-experimental, descriptive, longitudinal, and/or participant-oriented methods);
- Development and selection of powerful, appropriate quantitative and qualitative instruments (e.g., an effort to combine standardized, norm-referenced assessments and program protocols and measures); • Research supported data collection strategies including surveys (e.g., pre/post, mail, online, smaller scale phone surveys), focus groups and interviews;
- Skills analyzing and interpreting a range of data (e.g., all types of test results, performing simple and complex statistical analyses as needed);
- Training and technical assistance to develop, access, manage, and appropriately interpret performance measurement systems for local use (e.g., database development services); and
- Report writing, both technical and non-technical, to communicate findings to multiple audiences and stakeholders.
As a Center tied to the University of Minnesota’s land grant mission--along with long-standing personal and professional commitments to supporting community efforts targeting children birth through age 8--CEED is committed to disseminating findings in accessible, engaging ways to encourage use of findings. Strategies for disseminating findings include interim and annual reports, sharing results through local and national conference presentations, and producing briefing papers, press releases, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Evaluation Projects to Date
CEED has conducted rigorous program evaluations for Federal and State agencies, private foundations, school districts, and public, non-profit agencies. Process and outcome evaluations range from smaller evaluations of specific program elements to large scale multi-site evaluations. Examples of recent work include:
- Multiple projects focusing on professional development and training programs for early care providers;
- Early language, literacy, social emotional development, and school readiness assessments to inform national, local, and multi-site initiatives;
- Evaluations of programs delivered in metro area child care centers to serve children from high stress/high risk backgrounds;
- Evaluations documenting innovative services to families with children birth to 5 years of age;
- Evaluation of curriculum development and implementation in a community outreach program for a regional children’s theatre company;
- Feasibility studies and needs assessments for systems change; and
- Participatory research methods to better engage vulnerable, high-need communities in the collection and use of evaluation data and build local services and evaluation capacity.
Evaluation Fees
Evaluation fees are determined in close consultation with clients.
Request Evaluation Services
Use our online Service Request Form to request evaluation services or contact Andrea Peterson at 612-625-1464.
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