Services Offered

Whether you are looking for consulting (support to solve specific problems within a short-term time frame) or advisory services (long-term guidance and planning support to achieve broader goals), I can help.

Background Research

When launching a new program or initiative, it’s important to have a strong theoretical foundation on which to build. Time and/or resource constraints may make it difficult to have a full-time policy expert on staff who can handle this type of research. That’s where I can help. I have written numerous types of policy documents, and can help with any ad hoc requests that may appear.

Whether you need a:

  • Briefing memo (1-2 page introductory overview on a topic);

  • Policy paper / Landscape analysis / Environmental scan (a more extended, deeper dive and analysis);

  • 50-state scan (comparing current status across all jurisdictions); or

  • Position paper (analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of opposing arguments),

I can conduct background research and help fill your needs. If desired, I can also create a content library (annotated bibliography including links of sources) or presentation.

Possible Clients: State education and workforce agencies; charter school founders and networks; microschool founders; cultural institutions; non-profits

Is the curriculum you offer reflective of modern student needs? Are you exploring new models for interdisciplinary courses? Would you like to help your teachers plan for project-based learning and/or authentic assessment of student learning? Or are you simply looking to ensure that the scope of your proposed curriculum aligns with required standards?

Regardless of your needs, digging into the minutia of curriculum has always been a deep interest of mine. Let me help you pressure-test your curriculum before it goes live.

Possible Clients: Cultural Institutions; charter school founders; microschools; non-profits; traditional public schools

Curriculum Support

Stakeholder Engagement

Education reform and policy is a dynamic environment in which our understanding of change is regularly updated and modernized. However, one constant that has not changed is the essential role of high-quality stakeholder engagements. I can help to identify and map your key stakeholders, develop an engagement strategy, facilitate convenings, and / or develop agendas and other materials that will guide your experience.

Possible Clients: State education agencies; charter school founders; microschools; non-profits; cultural institutions

Data Collection Design and Instrument Development

Whether you are interested in a conducting a formative or summative program evaluation, a research study, an implementation study, or need to review and assess the strength of the metrics you use, my background in mixed method data collection can support your project. I have designed original data collection instruments, including classroom assessments of student learning (I have also delivered original training sessions on assessment design and data literacy), original focus group / interview protocols (I have trained younger staff members on how to conduct these types of sessions), and surveys. I have also helped schools and district design institutional assessment plans, aligning assessment activities with learning standards and ensuring that programs have adequate information to make informed decisions.

Possible clients: State education and workforce agencies; non-profits; cultural institutions; charter school networks

Analysis

Once you have identified trustworthy data sources and have started collecting your data, it’s time to analyze your results. I have deep experience in qualitative data analysis and have designed original training on coding qualitative data - this includes textual data as well as multimedia artifacts. I can translate the results of focus group and interviews into personas and journey maps, or I can summarize trends from qualitative data in a traditional summary report. In addition, I can conduct quantitative analyses on your survey results, and I can speak across qualitative and quantitative data sources to identify keep takeaways and next steps. If desired, I can also develop a presentation of your results.

Possible clients: State education and workforce agencies; non-profits; cultural institutions; charter school networks

Strategic Planning

All education change efforts require an organizational structure that will guide future work. I can help you with establishing a vision / mission statement, developing a theory of action to provide a succinct description of how you will execute your vision, a more detailed logic model to show the interdependencies of project activities and phases, a program or project evaluation, or a communications plan, I have experience using strategic planning to drive programmatic or policy impact.

Possible clients: State education agencies; cultural institutions; traditional school districts; charter school networks; non-profits