Seeding Success, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing social and economic mobility in Shelby County, was awarded a five-year, $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Full-Service Community Schools Program (FSCS), with an additional $15 million in matching and in-kind contributions. This initiative is a collaboration between Seeding Success, Memphis Shelby County Schools, Communities In Schools of Memphis, Memphis Business Academy, Millington Municipal School District, Frayser Community Schools, and the University of Memphis. Community schools are public schools that partner with community organizations to provide students, their families, and the surrounding community educational and other supports for academic, social, and emotional well-being and success.

The Center for Research in Educational Policy (CREP) is conducting an independent, mixed-methods evaluation of the FSCS initiative to assess the extent to which the program’s goals, objectives, and outcomes are being met in the areas of Integrated Student Supports, Active Family & Community Engagement, Expanded and Enriched Learning Time and Opportunities, and Collaborative Leadership Practices by collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data from key stakeholder groups. Baseline data collection began in the fall of the 2023-24 school year, with follow-up data gathered each spring through the 2026-27 school year.

For nearly 20 years, CREP has partnered with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to provide comprehensive evaluation and monitoring services for the Title IV-B 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program. This initiative aims to ensure that the CCLC programs across Virginia meet federal and state GPRA guidelines by providing academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly those attending high-poverty and low-performing schools.

CREP’s role includes administering and monitoring a series of online instruments such as the On-Site Monitoring Report (OSMR), Corrective Action Plan (CAP), and the Program Quality Self-Assessment Tool (PQSA), among others. These tools are designed to assess and improve the quality of after-school programs, ensuring that they deliver meaningful outcomes for students and communities. Our responsibilities also extend to analyzing critical data, providing center-level and state-level reports, and supporting the VDOE in achieving its evaluation goals. CREP is committed to delivering detailed and actionable insights through an annual evaluation report, which informs VDOE’s future strategies for enhancing educational quality in after-school programs.

The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM) is committed to advancing social and economic mobility through its Vision 2025 strategic plan. This plan focuses on five key goals: a) sustaining support networks in the 38126 area code, b) designing a systems framework for new resources, c) strengthening organizational capacity, d) amplifying WFGM’s story, and e) replicating their model across multiple Memphis communities.

To support these efforts, the CREP collaborates with WFGM to evaluate the outcomes of Vision 2025. This comprehensive evaluation involves annual reporting, tracking progress through data collected from grantee partners, and synthesizing both quantitative and qualitative data. Additionally, CREP administers a retrospective survey to assess the impact of grantee partner programs on participants' quality of life. The findings from this evaluation are used to highlight Vision 2025’s successes in key areas such as case management, adult education, early childhood development, youth development, and financial education. Through interim and final reports, CREP provides WFGM with valuable insights into the progress and impact of their initiatives.

CREP is embarking on a new 18-month collaboration with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to administer and evaluate the 2025 High School Senior Opinion Survey. This comprehensive survey will capture the perceptions and experiences of Tennessee's high school seniors, focusing on their education, college readiness, and post-graduation plans. The insights gained from this data will be instrumental in identifying key trends, strengths, and areas for improvement within the state's education system, ultimately guiding the future of education in Tennessee.

CREP is proud to serve as the independent evaluator for the Tennessee Higher Education Initiative (THEI) Student Resources Initiative Project. Our evaluation will focus on assessing THEI’s progress toward achieving its programmatic goals, which include improving financial aid literacy, enhancing systemic processes, and expanding the capacity of Prison Education Programs (PEPs) to effectively support incarcerated students. CREP will collaborate with THEI to develop survey and interview protocols, collect participant feedback, and provide ongoing consultation to support program improvements. Each year, we will produce a formative report summarizing our findings, culminating in a final summative report at the end of the grant period. Through this project, CREP is committed to helping THEI create meaningful, lasting impacts for incarcerated learners as they pursue higher education and workforce training opportunities.

Read more about the project in COE News >

For 15 years, CREP has collaborated with the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) to evaluate innovative, hands-on, inquiry-based educational programs aimed at improving student achievement in science. Starting in 2019, our latest partnership had CREP as the independent evaluator for SSEC's five-year, $4.5 million early-phase Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant: “Smithsonian Science for the Classroom: Improving Student Achievement Across State Borders and State Standards.”

Conducted between October 2019 and September 2024, this project impacted third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms in 37 schools across seven districts in rural North and South Carolina. The Smithsonian Science modules, aligned with NGSS standards, provide authentic science learning experiences, complete with embedded Smithsonian resources and comprehensive teacher supports.

As this phase of our work with SSEC draws to a close, we reflect on our role in evaluating the impact of these modules and the accompanying professional development on student achievement and teacher efficacy in teaching science. Utilizing standardized assessments, classroom observations, teacher surveys, and focus groups, our evaluation has provided valuable insights into how these resources improve teacher content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and student achievement in science, reading, and math.

Looking to the future, CREP is awaiting the outcome of a Mid-phase EIR proposal that, if awarded, will allow us to continue our partnership with SSEC for another five years. CREP would once again serve as the independent evaluator, building on our previous work to further enhance the efficacy of the Smithsonian Science for the Classroom modules and their impact on student and teacher success on a wider scale.