Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Program Evaluation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board presses staff on return-on-investment for Partnerships for Student Success; staff points to required evaluations
Summary
Board members questioned whether the Partnerships for Student Success program has measurable return-on-investment; the superintendent and Deputy Superintendent Elise Newey said measurement is a priority and annual evaluation reports (including independent evaluations) exist and will be circulated to members.
During discussion of Agenda Item 6.6 on R277.924, board members pressed staff about how the Partnerships for Student Success program measures effectiveness and whether funds should be reallocated if outcomes do not justify continued investment.
Member Pearl asked, "Are we doing a return on investment with this so that we know the effectiveness?" She said the question was aimed at ensuring the program meets goals such as reducing intergenerational poverty and to inform legislative priorities.
The superintendent told the board that measurement and outcomes are a near-term priority, saying, "That is one of our major goals for the next 365 days." The superintendent and committee members acknowledged the trade-off between measurement effort and program delivery but said staff are working to build outcome metrics into program design so evaluation does not unduly drain program resources.
Deputy Superintendent of Policy Elise Newey added that the agency is required to produce an annual evaluation report for the Partnerships program and that independent evaluators have assessed program success according to statutory metrics. She said, "We are actually required to put together an evaluation report annually on this program. They are on our website and we'll send them out to you." Newey said staff would circulate the most recent report to all board members.
The board ultimately voted to continue R277.924 (13–2) but directed staff to keep developing ROI and outcome reporting so the board can make data-driven decisions about program funding.
