Services — APA Consulting

Program Evaluation & Research

Program evaluation and research play a vital role in helping policymakers, funders, and education leaders understand the impacts that specific education programs or policies have on children and the adults who serve them. APA has been a leader in providing customized and tailored services that:

document the impacts of a particular education program or policy;
study how education programs are implemented to understand how a program or policy might be improved and made more consistent over time;
identify the costs and benefits of implementing a program, including any potential return on investment (ROI); and
review research and policy landscapes to help policymakers understand the challenges facing key public education sectors and to learn from best practices identified across the country.

APA’s approach to research and evaluation is to provide clients with advice and insights informed by over two decades of experience working with clients at all levels of the education system (early childhood education, K-12, and higher education) and all levels of decision-making (local, state, and national) in every region of the country. We specialize in creating tailored evaluation and research plans through close collaboration with each client, and we have conducted such studies successfully at all levels of rigor based on each client’s need. This includes qualitative case study designs, legislative and policy reviews, research reviews, quasi-experimental studies that use statistical research techniques to study program impacts on students, and randomized controlled trial studies suitable for publication nationally in the federal What Works Clearinghouse.

Our staff are also trained in using federally approved research techniques to add cost-benefit and ROI analysis to any study we design.

Primary Contact

Dale DeCesare
dmd@apaconsulting.net | 720-227-0089

Areas of Expertise

Deep content area knowledge: teacher mentoring, tutoring, early childhood education, career and technical education, teacher retention, teacher workforce, transportation, rural schools, gifted and talented education, early literacy, social-emotional development, community schools, and more.
Program implementation monitoring and analysis;
Cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, and return on investment (ROI) analysis using a nationally recognized, ingredients-based approach.
Impact studies: quasi-experimental (propensity score matching, interrupted time series, regression discontinuity); and randomized controlled trial studies (RCT), considered the “gold standard” in education research;
Qualitative data collection: interviews, focus groups, panel discussions, literature reviews, and case studies;
Survey development and analysis:
Statistical analysis;
Literature, legal, and regulatory review; and
Descriptive research and policy studies.

Example Projects

Texas Communities in Schools (CIS): Supporting State Leaders to Improve Programming

Co-led a multiyear, statewide evaluation for the Texas Education Agency of the Texas Communities in Schools (CIS) program. Services included conducting in-depth site visits to districts and schools implementing CIS to identify impacts on students and educators and challenges associated with program implementation.
National Communities in Schools (CIS): Developing a Multi-State Impact Study

Participating in a five-year evaluation of CIS programs across the country supported through the National Communities in Schools program. The evaluation includes surveys at school sites to gather data on program implementation and impacts, and managing an advisory board of national experts.
REL Central: Co-leading a Regional Federal Education Lab

APA co-led REL Central — the federal education laboratory serving Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming — under a multiyear contract with the U.S. Department of Education. As part of this work, APA built cross-state policymaker research alliances focused on teacher mentoring and professional development.
Investigating Impacts of State Legislation to Improve K-3 Reading Outcomes

APA is part of a three-company team to evaluate the implementation and impacts of the Colorado legislature’s READ Act, which provides funding directly to schools and districts to improve K-3 literacy outcomes. Research activities include extensive case studies and site visits to hear directly from educators and education leaders.
The Gold Standard in Research: Leading a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) on Teacher Mentoring

APA was the primary investigator of a multiyear RCT study of a teacher mentoring program in a large, urban school district studying impacts on teacher retention, and student reading and math scores. The study included a return on investment analysis and was designed for What Works Clearinghouse publication.
Vermont: Helping State Policymakers Address Teacher Workforce Challenges

The Vermont Agency of Education hired APA to provide recommendations on challenges the state faces in attracting and retaining educators. APA gathered extensive data on the state’s educator workforce and conducted focus groups with teachers, school and district leaders, educator preparation programs, and human resource officers.
Rural Gifted and Talented Education: Improving Identification of Giftedness

APA is leading the evaluation of a technical assistance and professional development program designed to give rural educators new tools and skills to identify giftedness among high-need students, who are traditionally underrepresented in gifted programs. The evaluation is funded through the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program.
Evaluating State Grant Impacts on School District Accountability Programs

APA was hired by the Colorado Department of Education to conduct the first ever evaluation of the legislatively authorized Colorado Local Accountability System Grant (LASG) program. This program awards competitive grants to help school districts innovate and enhance their accountability and continuous improvement systems.
AmeriCorps: Helping Nonprofits Grow by Providing Program Evaluation

APA conducted multiyear impact and program implementation evaluations of numerous AmeriCorps grantees using quasi-experimental research designs, including: the Reading Partners and Great Oaks in-school tutoring programs; Summer Advantage, a national summer school program; and PASO a training program for family, friend, and neighbor preschool providers in high-need Latino communities.
Publicly Funded Preschool: An Evaluation of the Denver Preschool Program

Denver was one of the first cities in the country to have voters pass a citywide tax to help make preschool more affordable. As the multiyear lead evaluator of DPP’s operations, APA conducts city-wide surveys of parents and preschools and uses GIS mapping to analyze and display the findings in each neighborhood and quadrant of the city to understand how preschool needs differ for families of different incomes and locations.
Teach for America: Examining Program Implementation and Costs

APA conducted a study for Teach for America (TFA) of program implementation across numerous cities and communities in Texas. Case studies and site visits were used to explore implementation arrangements in a variety of school and district settings, and detailed information on resources, costs, and benefits was gathered through interviews and focus groups with school and district leaders, as well as teachers and corps members.
ROI Study of a National ECE Shared Services Program: Early Learning Ventures (ELV)

ELV is a national program that seeks to support the operations of early childhood education providers by offering a suite of shared services that providers can purchase to run their businesses more cost-effectively. APA collected and analyzed detailed data on program costs and savings as part of an ROI study that demonstrated how the program can save providers valuable time and money to reduce burnout and stay in business.