Projects and Clients
Specific past and current projects are outlined on this page. Our evaluation and organizational consultation services can be used by:
- Colleges and universities (institutions, departments, and individual programs)
- Pre-K through 12 schools (districts as well as individual schools)
- Educational non-profits, local governments, and community organizations
Current Projects
CSULB BUilding Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD II) (2019-Present)
The overarching goal of the CSULB BUILD program (both BUILD I and BUILD II) is to develop and strengthen a sustainable pipeline for advanced research degrees for underrepresented students (URS) in biomedical research by providing training in a supportive infrastructure to facilitate their engagement and retention. To assess the overarching goals of the CSULB BUILD II program, the evaluation will investigate each of the key intervention levels; 1) Institutional/Research Infrastructure Development; 2) Faculty Development/ Mentoring; and 3) Student Education, Research Training and Career Development. The evaluation will entail process, outcomes, and impact evaluation, using a mixed-methodology approach. CEEE will also focus on dissemination and institutionalization efforts.
CSULB HSI-Teacher Preparation Caminos Project (HSI Teacher Prep – U.S. Department of Education) (2017-Present)
CSULB received a $2.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to enhance the teacher pipeline from Latina/o communities. The Caminos Project aims to increase the number of Latino/a and Hispanic students who enter undergraduate majors that meet state teacher certification requirements for subject matter preparation and that best prepare candidates for postgraduate pedagogic preparation and teaching careers. The project also seeks to expand the number of Latino/a and Hispanic students who persist and complete both degree and credentialing programs and do so with greater timeliness. The Caminos Project also aims to ensure that all CSULB initial teacher candidates demonstrate effectiveness and cultural competence to promote learning in diverse and low-income schools. CEEE will evaluate key project activities including: the creation of community engagement programs and new curricular pathways for expediting entry into pipeline undergraduate degrees and through them postgraduate credential programs, as well as the establishment of undergraduate learning communities and teacher mentor partnerships as well as a professional development program relating to culturally responsive pedagogy in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and clinical practice.
CSULB College of Education (CED) Center to Close the Opportunity Gap (CCOG) (2020-Present)
CSULB is hosting the new Center to Close the Opportunity Gap (CCOG), a system-wide effort to study and eliminate achievement gaps at all levels of education. Opening in Spring 2020, the purpose of the CSULB CCOG is to identify and refine proven strategies to eliminate equity gaps at all levels of education.
CSU 2016-21 HSI-STEM Systemwide Evaluation Project (2016-Present)
For the 2016-2021 HSI-STEM grant cycle, the United States Department of Education (DOE) funded over 300 projects nationwide. In the California State University (CSU) system alone, over $60 million was awarded to a total of twelve CSU campuses. Led by the CEEE, this study is a collaborative effort among 10 CSU campuses with HSI-STEM grants and the CSU Office of the Chancellor (CO). This study uses a mixed-methods approach to capture data on the impact of the HSI-STEM projects, common programmatic elements, effective practices, implementation challenges, and indicators to assess program impact and best practices in the future. The emphasis of the evaluation will be on the analysis of quantitative student data to assess the impact of the CSU HSI-STEM projects in an effort to meet IES’ What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards. However, analysis of existing documents, survey, and interview data will also be essential in adding depth and nuance to quantitative findings, answering specific research questions, and making practical recommendations for future policy and practice.
U.S. Department of Education CSU HSI-STEM Supplemental Grant Project: CSU Systemwide Evaluation Leveraging Impact Through Dissemination and Institutionalization (2018-Present)
The California State University (CSU) system was awarded 12 HSI-STEM grants in fall 2016. At that time, 10 of those projects committed to participating in the 2016-21 CSU HSI-STEM Systemwide Evaluation, with the goal of learning about practices and implementation from their sister campuses as well as leveraging data to determine the impact of various interventions in their programs. A key theme in has been the need to look at the needs and practices of HSIs more broadly, reaching beyond a STEM lens to the broader question of how the CSU can best serve California’s growing Hispanic population while informing the rest of the nation. The recent award of 3 grants to CSU institutions for teacher preparation highlights the opportunity to leverage the power of the CSU and California to improve the success of Hispanic students, as well as first-generation and low-income students more broadly. The systemwide evaluation is well-positioned to help answer this call. Therefore, this supplemental funding project is framed around the broader goal of engaging colleges and universities in California and nationally who are serving Hispanic students broadly. The work in the systemwide evaluation is a comprehensive effort leveraging the size and scope of the CSU to develop a rigorous understanding of “what works” in supporting Hispanic, low-income and first-generation student success. The practical and methodological lessons from this work can guide strategic use of funding and program resources to support student success.
CSULB Active Learning-Based Educational Program (LEAP Project) (2020-Present)
The CSULB LEAP project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is a Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) grant with the goal of supporting the interests of traditionally UR/US students pursuing STEM degrees, and building better university-industry partnerships. Program participants will have a faculty mentor and an industry mentor. A long-term goal of the project is to increase the number of UR/US students pursuing careers in the sciences, and to increase the size and diversity of the STEM workforce that holds advanced academic knowledge in STEM and business-related coursework, as well as a collaborative research experience. The project intends to institutionalize the outcomes for the business course and industry partnerships.
CSULB Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U*STAR) Program (2017-Present)
The purpose of the CSULB MARC-USTAR program is to increase the number of underrepresented students entering and earning doctoral degrees in biomedical sciences. This is accomplished through the annual training of highly selective undergraduate MARC student scholars, in coordination with faculty research mentors, as well as through efforts to increase the awareness of faculty at CSULB regarding the setbacks encountered by students from underrepresented groups.
CSULB Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE IV) (2020-Present)
The RISE IV program at CSULB provides training and professional development of underrepresented minority students entering biomedical research and biomedical careers. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, RISE serves as a research initiative for scientific enhancement via diversification of students engaged in research and future science research professionals. Program participants include lower-division undergraduates, upper-division undergraduates, and M.S. to Ph.D. students. Along with cohort-specific activities, all RISE participants work with a faculty mentor, participate in training activities that enhance scientific research knowledge and skills, and are provided with financial and educational resources. A central component to RISE is lab experience, as well as regular workshops, meetings, and RISE community support. The focus of CEEE’s evaluation is on the extent to which program activities impact students’ perceptions of their academic self-confidence, research skills, and desire to pursue advanced study. Additionally, the evaluation highlights the activities or experiences students report as particularly impactful for their learning and growth. During the 2020-2025 award period, the M.S. to Ph.D. program will become its own program – Bridges to the Doctorate (if grant is funded) – and will require separate evaluation. RISE will also be working closely with the MARC program on application to NIH funded URISE.
CSULB Si Puedo (Strengthening the Impact by Providing Undergraduate Educational Development Opportunities) (2016-Present)
For 2016-21 CSULB was awarded the U.S. Department of Education HSI-STEM grant for the purpose of (1) increasing the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in the STEM, and; (2) developing model transfer and articulation agreements between two- and four-year institutions in such fields. CEEE’s evaluation will measure the implementation of project activities, progress toward meeting established benchmarks, successes and challenges, and will also measure the impact of one project component (STEP into STEM) student success as defined by the U.S. Department of Education’s performance measures and the Institute of Education Statistics (IES) What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) relevant outcome measures (e.g., achievement, persistence, completion).
Completed Projects
California State University, Long Beach - Bridges to the Baccalaureate (2016-2020)
The CSULB Bridges to the Baccalaureate Project (Bridges) is funded by the National Institutes of Health with the goal of supporting the interests of traditionally underrepresented students in biomedical sciences. Working with 2 partners (Cerritos College and Long Beach City College), CSULB conducts outreach on the community college campuses and engages 16 students per summer in a 9-week research program on the CSULB campus.
CSULB BUilding Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD I) (2016-2019)
The overarching goal of the CSULB BUILD program is to develop and strengthen a sustainable pipeline for advanced research degrees for underrepresented students (URS) in biomedical research by providing training in a supportive infrastructure to facilitate their engagement and retention. To ensure the sustainability of an innovative program for promoting biomedical research training of highly competitive and motivated URS, the CSULB BUILD program will: 1) Develop and sustain a culturally responsive and transformative educational pipeline and supportive infrastructure to facilitate engagement and retention of URS, while providing them with rigorous biomedical training and mentorship needed to become outstanding research scientists; 2) Inform and enhance institutional, faculty, and student research development to ensure that our pipeline reflects and responds to the contextual needs of an urban, multicultural educational environment that represents our increasingly diverse nation; and 3) Work in collaboration with our pipeline and research partners to create the institutional research-training infrastructure needed to enhance student and faculty engagement in biomedical research. To assess the overarching goals of the CSULB BUILD program, the evaluation will investigate each of the key intervention levels; 1) Institutional/Research Infrastructure Development; 2) Faculty Development/ Mentoring; and 3) Student Education, Research Training and Career Development. The evaluation will entail process, outcomes, and impact evaluation, using a mixed-methodology approach. CEEE will focus on the process and outcomes evaluation (internal evaluation), while the CEC Consortium will conduct the impact evaluation (external evaluation) with assistance from CEEE.
CSU Collaborative for the Advancement of Linked Learning (CALL) (2016-2017)
In fall 2016, the Teacher Leadership Department in the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) began a special Linked Learning cohort of the M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction program (program). This Linked Learning cohort was designed to modify the existing courses in the M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction program to reflect Linked Learning principles, thereby preparing teachers for creating curriculum and instruction for Linked Learning contexts. The evaluation, led by CEEE, will address program structure and the degree to which the program reflects Linked Learning principles. Additionally, the evaluation will document any changes in classroom and school/district practice as well as in teachers’ identities as scholar-practitioners.
CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP) (2016-2017)
The CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP) is designed to increase the pool of individuals with the qualifications, motivation, and skills to teach the diverse student body enrolled at CSU campuses. The program, which began in 1987-88, provides loans to graduate students pursuing full-time doctoral study who are interested in teaching in the CSU system. As the CDIP approaches its 30-year anniversary, CEEE has been hired to determine the impact CDIP has had on faculty hiring and diversity in the CSU; and, in particular, what components of the CDIP program participants have identified as most meaningful for their professional success. Using a mixed-methods approach, CEEE will use existing CSU HR data, develop a survey for CDIP alumni, and conduct interviews with alumni in an effort to provide a report to CDIP and the CSU Board of Trustees to provide feedback on program strengths and identify areas of improvement.
CSU Chancellor’s Office (CO) Student Success Data Analytics Project/Stupski (2017-2018)
Funded via Stupski Foundation, the CSU Chancellor’s Office launched a pilot Student Success Data Analytics Project at 2 CSU campuses: CSU East Bay, and CSU San Francisco with the intent to determine participants data readiness and perceptions of the role of data in student success, as well as perceptions of their preparation to use data, ability to use data, and likelihood of integrating data into decision-making and practices. The goal of the project is to enhance the evidence-based cultures of inquiry on their campuses, as well as suggestions for program improvement. CEEE is providing an evaluation of the pilot student success analytics program at San Francisco State and CSU Easy Bay.
CSULB Campus Climate Survey Development Project (2017-2018)
In response to a request from the CSULB Campus Climate Committee, the goal of this project included the development of a CSULB-specific campus climate survey. CEEE’s goals are to create an assessment tool that would include one survey questionnaire delineated across student, faculty, and staff respondents and collect data that validly reflect the experiences and attitudes of students, faculty, and staff, at CSULB. The purpose of the development of these instruments is to utilize the data in order to inform future policy and practice.
CSULB Graduate Studies Longitudinal Survey Development Project (2018-2021)
The purpose of the CSULB Graduate Studies Longitudinal Survey Development project is to develop a suite of surveys is to solicit the experiences, challenges, perceptions and outcomes of CSULB graduate students and their educational and personal needs. The purpose of this survey suite is to identify students’ goals, needs, and experiences at the university and college level, as well as student satisfaction and self-reported outcomes measures. Specifically, CEEE is developing a longitudinal survey set to be administered to graduate students: (1) At entrance to their graduate programs (pre-test); (2) At or near the end of the successful completion of their graduate studies (post-test); and (3) Approximately three-years post-graduation (alumni survey) (This survey might be administered on a rolling basis [e.g., 1 time every 3 years] to increase the sample size, given traditionally low N for these kinds of surveys.)
CSU American Institutions History Course Redesign with Technology (CRT) (2017)
In a year-long program, a team of history faculty redesigned their courses to improve student success, showing a decrease in DFW rates and increased student engagement in their courses. This cohort was awarded a 2017 Course Redesign with Technology (CRT) Sustaining Success grant to support the development and deployment of a wider assessment methodology for use with CSU-required American Institutions courses taught in Departments of History. CEEE will provide the project with a revised pre-post student survey for administration beginning Fall 2017 and an evaluation plan that the project can use to address questions of effectiveness and impact going forward.
CSULB Timely Degree Project (2017-2020)
In response to the Graduation Initiative 2025 (GI 2025) call to increase CSULB’s 4-year graduation rate to 39% (from the 15% range), Co-PI’s Avery Olson and Erika Baldwin, with the support of CEEE, will use a mixed-methods approach to examine CSULB graduation rates of those students who are in the four-and-a-half to five-year graduation rate – otherwise known as “super seniors.” Phase 1 will include analyze existing student-level data to discover the five-year graduation rate trends of CSULB super seniors, and to guide the development of a longitudinal student success survey to better understand the goals, expectations, attitudes and behaviors, perceptions, and obstacles of super seniors. In Phase 2, we will administer a student success survey and conduct a quantitative survival analysis of the existing data to examine the point at which five-year graduates fall off the four-year graduation trajectory. Utilization of this method will allow for the creation of a model that can be used to fit on existing data to predict at which point graduates change time to degree. Phase 2 will also include focus groups to collect qualitative data regarding super seniors’ goals and perceptions to enhance the quantitative findings.
California State University, Long Beach - Project Hispanic Opportunities for Graduate Access and Retention (Project HOGAR) (2014-2019)
Project Hispanic Opportunities for Graduate Access and Retention (Project HOGAR), a five-year project funded by the Department of Education, aims to enhance graduate school outreach efforts to Hispanic and other underserved undergraduate groups, improve the experiences of these students in graduate school, expand faculty capacity to mentor and engage in research with these students, and strengthen the institution’s overall support of graduate education.
CSU HSI-STEM Systemwide Summative Evaluation Project (2015-2016)
In 2011, seven California State University (CSU) campuses were awarded over $35 million in U.S. Department of Education HSI-STEM grant monies with the purpose of: (1) increasing the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in the STEM, and; (2) developing model transfer and articulation agreements between two- and four-year institutions in such fields. CEEE conducted a systemwide summative evaluation in the final year of the grant in an effort to measure the impact of these grants on student success as defined by the U.S. Department of Education’s performance measures and the Institute of Education Statistics (IES) What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) relevant outcome measures (e.g., persistence, completion). The focus of this evaluation was to examine lessons regarding the implementation and impact of HSI-STEM programs on student learning and other outcomes in the CSU. For each campus, the summative evaluation interviewed and collected survey data from each campus principal investigator (PI) and evaluator, completed a document analysis of all project proposals and annual reports, and utilized a research design that enabled us to compare students who participated in HSI-STEM projects (treatment group) to students who did not participate in HSI-STEM funded programs (comparison group).
Los Angeles City College Integrated Career and Academic Pathways (ICAPs) Research Project (2015-2016)
The Los Angeles City College (LACC) developed the Institute for Integrated Career and Academic Pathways (ICAPs), a professional development academy for educators and industry experts in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Small Business Industries. The purpose of ICAPs is to engage stakeholders in a discourse about skills mapping and the alignment of career pathway training to ICT occupations.
University of Redlands - MSP+C Research Project (2015-2017)
The purpose of the MSP+C project developed by the University of Redlands and funded by the National Science Foundation and the Bechtel Foundation is to create instructional Spatial STEM-C interventions that will promote the development of cognitive abilities that underlie key computational thinking abilities: decomposition, pattern recognition, pattern generalization to define abstractions or models, algorithm design, and data analysis and visualization in elementary-aged children. Over a two-year span curriculum will be developed and evaluated to be formatted into formal instruction that can be utilized by educators supporting and strengthening student STEM success.
LA Pierce College - LACC Pierce College NASA Murep Evaluation (2019-2020)
Los Angeles Pierce College serves over 20,000 students who come from across the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Minority enrollment at Pierce College is over 60% with Hispanic students making up the majority of our minority enrollment. The College’s high minority enrollment places Pierce College in the position to team with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in order to fulfill both institutions goal of providing resources and access to minority students. LA Pierce College was awarded a Minority Undergraduate Research and Education Program (MUREP), Innovations in Space Technology Curriculum (MISTC) grant. MISTC grants aim to accomplish three primary goals: (1) revise or develop at least one new course that will introduce and enhance student understanding of space technology development; (2) identify and address campus laboratory equipment needs to support student learning in the course(s); and (3) hands-on learning opportunities related to the course(s) through internships at NASA Centers or facilities. The LA Pierce College/JPL Solar System Lab Project aims to increase student knowledge of space technology development, increase the number of students, and in particular underrepresent students, transferring and completing STEM degrees, and increase the size and diversity of the STEM workforce. The project plans to achieve these goals by developing a lab course to correspond to a physical science lecture course, and offering hands-on learning opportunities and internships for participating minority students.
CSULB S-STEM/METRIC Project Evaluation (2019-2020)
The S-STEM/METRIC (METRIC) project includes 2 major activities: (1) 16 students annually participating in a year-long learning community, including workshops, career activities, internships, and leadership training; and (2) Faculty mentors and/or project leaders working with students annually. The METRIC evaluation will have formative elements to assess implementation of project activities and summative elements to determine whether the project’s major goals and objectives were achieved. The evaluation will use a mixed methods approach, which allows us to triangulate data to increase the trustworthiness of the findings.
CSU EdQ Center - TK20/Watermark Pilot Evaluation (2018-2019)
The CSU EdQ Center, with support from the Bechtel Foundation, awarded grants to CSU Long Beach and CSU Fullerton to pilot implementation of a comprehensive candidate data management system, TK20 by Watermark. The purpose of the Watermark/TK20 evaluation is to generate lessons that can help campuses choose a tool for managing student/candidate in-program data, and once selected, how to prepare for successful implementation. This evaluation will examine the implementation of the Watermark/TK20 System at two CSU Campuses. This will include examining: (1) usability of the Watermark/TK20 system; (2) intuitiveness of the Watermark/TK20 system; and (3) challenges faced with implementation and use of the Watermark/TK20 system.
California State University, Long Beach - Transformative Clinical Practice for Developmental Educator Preparation Project Evaluation (Bechtel Project) (2015-2016)
The Transformative Clinical Practice for Developmental Educator Preparation Initiative is an effort funded by the Bechtel Foundation and developed by CSULB College of Education in partnership with the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD). The goal is to transform teacher preparation through the development of pedagogical content knowledge; select motivated master teachers; create a clinical network of teachers who receive training and support in mentoring, co-teaching, and standards implementation; provide a structured, coherent, and integrated system of clinical settings for candidates to learn; and develop innovative metrics to evaluate teacher impact on student outcomes.
