Services for External Program Evaluations
Words & Numbers Research, Inc. founded in 1984, performs quantitative and qualitative
evaluation research. It has been commissioned to plan and implement hundreds of
large-scale multiyear program evaluations projects throughout the United States.
The customized designs of each program evaluation, the respective implementation and then the completion of the contracts have been achieved with the highest standards. The satisfaction of the clients with their work has resulted in repeat business; the firm does not advertise its services. The firm also offers excellent technical expertise and capacity building while considering the ongoing needs of the project.
Words & Numbers Research, Inc. has designed numerous data collection tools that are user friendly, valid and reliable, and effective. From these instruments, quantitative and qualitative data have been compiled in SPSS and HLM, our computer statistical packages for data analysis. The generation of tables that are simple and straightforward, the development of reports from the data sets and the interpretation of findings have been our areas of expertise for over 30 years.
For multiyear projects, our evaluation designs have a formative component which means that the project will receive timely and valid information on management, implementation and efficiency during the course of implementation. The summative component is grounded in evidence-based research. It relies on objective performance measures that create hard data that can be statistically analyzed. Multiple methods of data collection must be integrated for corroboration of findings.
Words & Numbers Research, Inc. has provided comprehensive, multiyear evaluations for the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. Several of the Words & Numbers Research, Inc. evaluation reports have been published as models for evaluation design, methodology and implementation in ERIC, the federal government’s clearinghouse for best practices in program evaluations.
The customized designs of each program evaluation, the respective implementation and then the completion of the contracts have been achieved with the highest standards. The satisfaction of the clients with their work has resulted in repeat business; the firm does not advertise its services. The firm also offers excellent technical expertise and capacity building while considering the ongoing needs of the project.
Words & Numbers Research, Inc. has designed numerous data collection tools that are user friendly, valid and reliable, and effective. From these instruments, quantitative and qualitative data have been compiled in SPSS and HLM, our computer statistical packages for data analysis. The generation of tables that are simple and straightforward, the development of reports from the data sets and the interpretation of findings have been our areas of expertise for over 30 years.
For multiyear projects, our evaluation designs have a formative component which means that the project will receive timely and valid information on management, implementation and efficiency during the course of implementation. The summative component is grounded in evidence-based research. It relies on objective performance measures that create hard data that can be statistically analyzed. Multiple methods of data collection must be integrated for corroboration of findings.
Words & Numbers Research, Inc. has provided comprehensive, multiyear evaluations for the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. Several of the Words & Numbers Research, Inc. evaluation reports have been published as models for evaluation design, methodology and implementation in ERIC, the federal government’s clearinghouse for best practices in program evaluations.
- Funded by the National Science Foundation, Words & Numbers Research served as the external evaluation firm on the Connecticut Business and Industry (CBIA) Foundation’s ITEST grant for four concurrent years. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected on 9th and 10th graders at three urban high schools. The goal of the project was to expose high risk students to STEM careers and encourage respective academic preparation and postsecondary plans. The Carroll CBIA Math and Science Index© was developed by Dr. Carroll to measure impact on students attitudes and interests as they relate to math and science.
- Funded by the US Department of Education, the Mentoring Mathematicians (M2) Project, was a three-year UCONN demonstration project intended to increase mathematical achievement of students in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. Students were from 20 schools in SC, CT, KY and TX and from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. The evaluation was designed by Dr. Carroll with quantitative and qualitative components. Pretest and posttest statistical measurement of data, focus groups, in-depth interviewing and surveys have been included in the evaluation. There were both experimental and comparison groups to track changes in mathematics over the course of the project. The evaluation results were presented at American Educational Research Association Annual meeting in March 2011 and published in a peer review journal in 2013.
- Funded by the US Department of Education, the Mentoring Mathematical Minds (M3) Project, was a three-year UCONN demonstration project intended to increase mathematical achievement of elementary level students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. Students were from 20 schools in KY, CT and TX and from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. The evaluation was designed by Dr. Carroll with quantitative and qualitative components. Pretest and posttest statistical measurement of data, focus groups, in-depth interviewing and surveys have been included in the evaluation. The results were presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual meeting in March 2008. The research has been published in the Journal for Advanced Academics and the Gifted Child Quarterly where it was awarded the best journal article in 2010.