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Walton Family Foundation COVID Relief Fund Evaluation Final Report

June 13, 2022

In March 2020, the Walton Family Foundation established an emergency grant fund to quickly deploy resources to grantees and communities in response to the significant and evolving effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The $35 million fund was designed to support organizations across all three of WFF's Program Areas (Education, Environment, and Home Region).The Foundation's Strategy, Learning, and Evaluation Department (SLED) and Public Profit, an evaluation and strategy firm, conducted a retrospective evaluation to learn more about the experience of the emergency grantmaking process and the impact of the COVID Relief Fund grants on grantees and communities. 

Making Wise Decisions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Selecting the Right Data System

January 31, 2018

Making Wise Decisions is a free toolkit for nonprofits that want to find a data system that meets their needs.Developed by experts in program evaluation and data system development, Making Wise Decisions offers user-friendly, step-by-guidance to organizations that are considering adopting a new data management system. The toolkit includes an interactive self-assessment that nonprofits can use to refine their list of likely data systems, alongside team-based activities to use to navigate the process start to finish. It cuts through the jargon and sales-speak to equip nonprofits with the tools they need to find the right data system.

Summer Learning Findings Report: 2017 Summer Programs

January 25, 2018

Out-of-school time (OST) programs, especially summer programs, offer critical support to schools, youth, and their families. Research indicates that OST programs are more than just a safe haven for youth. High quality OST programs can support youth academically and socially.  Some studies show that minorities and youth in low-income communities benefit even more than their more affluent peers suggesting that OST programs are especially important for these young people.Public schools in Oakland serve a large proportion of youth who typically benefit from additional learning supports, including students from low-income households (73%) and English Learners (31%). High quality OST programs provide additional opportunities for youth to practice the academic and social skills they need to succeed. 

MOAD in the Classroom 2016-17 Evaluation Findings Report

January 1, 2018

MoAD in the Classroom (MIC) is an arts-based visual literacy and cultural studies program for third graders in the San Francisco Bay Area. Participating classes received two instructional visits to their classrooms by MIC instructors who introduced visual arts vocabulary, museum themes, and the current museum exhibitions. Classrooms also made two trips to the museum, during which they saw the exhibitions that they talked about in class, learned how to view and talk about art, and participated in hands-on art activities.

2016-17 Sparkpoint Community Schools Evaluation Findings Report

December 6, 2017

SparkPoint Community Schools (SPCS), a program of United Way Bay Area, helps families gain a stable financial footing while simultaneously supporting students' well-being and academic success. Traditionally, financial education has not been a part of the community schools model; programs focused on youth services and did not offer opportunities for parents to increase their own education or job skills. The SPCS model uses a two-generation approach – involving both youth and their parents – to shift the paradigm by strengthening whole families.In the 2016-17 program year, Public Profit undertook a mixed methods approach to evaluating SPCS program activities at the initiative's six sites. We used client interviews, staff interviews, participant surveys, administrative data, and staff focus groups to explore implementation fidelity, participation patterns, household economic improvement, and child academic improvement.

SF EXCEL After School Program 2016-17 Evaluation Report

November 27, 2017

San Francisco ExCEL is the After School Programs office of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), responsible for administering and monitoring federal and state funding for school-based after school programs and for aligning programming with district goals for student success. In the 2016-17 school year, 22 community-based organizations operated ExCEL programs in 88 schools throughout San Francisco.

Too Small to Fail

November 21, 2017

Too Small to Fail is leading a public awareness and action campaign to promote the importance of early brain and language development and to support parents with tools to talk, read, and sing with their young children from birth. Today, almost 60 percent of children in the United States start kindergarten unprepared, lagging behind their peers in critical language and reading skills. Through partnerships with pediatricians, hospitals, faith-based leaders, community based organizations, businesses, entertainment industry leaders, and others, Too Small to Fail is meeting parents where they are to help them prepare their children for success in school and beyond. Whether at the pediatrician's office or the playground, Too Small to Fail aims to make small moments big by creating opportunities for meaningful interactions anytime, anywhere.

Community Schools Collaborative 2016-17 Evaluation Report

May 10, 2017

San Pablo commissioned Public Profit to conduct an external evaluation of the Community Schools Collaborative. We used a mixed methods study design to explore the quality and benefits of the Collaborative. Programs primarily provided services directly to youth ("Direct Services Programs"). In addition, City funds supported community schools coordinators, a case manager, and family engagement consulting services ("Indirect Services Programs"). The evaluation adopted different approaches for these two program types.

Your RFP for Evaluation Services is Terrible - You Can Fix It!

June 15, 2016

Bad RFPs for evaluation frustrate everyone.OK, maybe we are being too harsh. But requests for proposals for evaluation services are oftentimes terrible. They read like a mash-up of Mad Libs contract language and evaluation jargon, and almost never provide evaluators with all the information they need to respond.This guide provides step-by-step instructions for preparing an RFP that will yield high-quality proposals and stronger evaluation services for your organization.

Dabbling in the Data: A Hands-on Guide to Participatory Data Analysis

September 15, 2015

You're encouraged to use data to describe your program's benefit, but where to start? Lengthy reports and big spreadsheets are hard to interpret and don't always help to prioritize next steps or plan for program improvement. For many people, data analysis can seem like a daunting task, requiring specialized knowledge and years of training. This guide provides a gentle introduction to practical approaches to explore and analyze data commonly used in youth-serving organizations. The activities in this guide are suitable for a variety of group sizes and stakeholders so that you can draw on the experiences, knowledge, and insights from everyone involved in your program, including youth!

Professional Learning Communities in the Expanded Learning Field

July 1, 2015

This white paper uses twelve evaluation reports of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) initiatives, as well as interviews with PLC participants and facilitators, to better understand how the PLC model is used in the Expanded Learning field, to demonstrate the benefits to participating staff and expanded learning programs, and to share best practices for youth-serving organizations interested in using PLCs.

Technical Assistance for Expanded Learning Opportunities in California

May 12, 2015

The After School Division (ASD) of the California Department of Education in collaboration with Public Profit, has released Technical Assistance for Expanded Learning Opportunities in California. This report shares high-level information about the availability of technical assistance (TA) by region, strategy, and links to Quality Standards for Expanded Learning. Regional Profiles provide at-a-glance information about providers in each of California's 11 regions.This report will help to inform the ongoing conversations about how to support high quality Expanded Learning Opportunities in California for all youth. California is a national leader in Expanded Learning, both for the breadth of its publicly funded Expanded Learning programs and for its growing focus on quality. THe ASD is further enhancing its supports for program quality through the System of Support, including fuding for TA. Understanding the current TA landscape enahnces the ASD's ability to make strategic investments to support Expanded Learning Opportunities.