Arroyo Research Services has broad experience helping organizations monitor, evaluate, and research education programs. We have specific depth in these practice areas:
Arroyo Research Services was selected as the external evaluator for the Texas Dropout Recovery Pilot Program, a $12 million program funded by the Texas Education Agency in 47 high schools, community colleges and universities across Texas. Our Evaluation of the Texas Dropout Recovery Pilot Program included a detailed cost-benefit analysis, multi-level modeling of student outcomes, and recommendations for policy makers and educators for improving dropout recovery programs. For the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board, Arroyo Research Services conducted a comprehensive evaluation of student outcomes accruing to GEAR UP funded professional development and student participation titled Building Teacher Knowledge to Increase College Readiness. For the Fort Wayne Community Schools (IN) we reviewed each high school program of study and its contribution to college and career readiness.
Arroyo Research Services has worked in a variety of K-16 STEM funding streams, including evaluations of programs funded by the National Science Foundation (Math Science Partnerships and CCLI: Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement), Department of Defense Education Activity, U.S. Department of Education (Fund for the Improvement of Post-secondary Education (FIPSE), Enhancing Education Through Technology, Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3), and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)), and work funded directly by states, districts and education publishers. Recent STEM projects have included statewide K-12 projects in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and Massachusetts, work on behalf of universities that include California State University Fullerton, University of Arizona, University of Virginia, University of South Florida, California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo, Auburn University, Northeastern University, and the University of Vermont, and work for school districts that include Fairfax County Public Schools (VA), Sunnyside Unified School District (AZ), Montgomery County Public Schools (MD), Fort Wayne Community Schools (IN), Garden Grove Unified School District (CA), Anaheim City School District (CA), Columbus City Schools (OH) and Dayton Public Schools (OH), among others. Managing Director Kirk Vandersall is on the program committee for the Society for Information Technology in Education, served as co-chair of the Games and Simulations SIG for SITE, and served on the 2014 STEM School Curriculum Advisory Committee for Buncombe County Public Schools (NC).
Our experience with education technology, digital learning initiatives and one-to-one computing includes recent engagements with Sunnyside Unified School District, a pioneering Digital Promise district adopting one-to-one computing across the entire district, and Huntsville City Schools to review their comprehensive digital conversion and related reforms,as well as recent evaluations of mobile handheld initiatives in Roanoke City Schools (VA), Radford City Schools (VA), and Lynchburg City Schools (VA), statewide mobile handheld projects for exceptional children using iPads and iPods for eTech Ohio, teacher proficiency with technology across the state of Maryland, and online simulations for training new teachers using SimSchool with Curveshift and Arizona State University. Prior projects include evaluation of multiple Enhancing Education Through Technology and PT3 grants at the state and local levels and multiple National Science Foundation grants to universities and local school districts.
Through value-added analysis of contributions to educator effectiveness for the Walden Master of Science in Education, a study of Online Teacher Education: Exploring the Impact of a Reading and Literacy Program on Student Learning, evaluation of the efficacy of online teacher professional development for the Maryland Department of Education, or design of educator effectiveness reporting strategies for a major education software provider, Arroyo Research Services helps education organizations examine educator effectiveness using appropriate metrics and rigorous methods. For the Apple Federal Credit Union Education Foundation in Fairfax, VA, Arroyo designed and supports a grantee reporting and evaluation for the foundations awards to promote teacher induction and mentoring in Fairfax County Public Schools, Prince William County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools and 6 other Northern Virginia school divisions.
Arroyo Research Services served as the external evaluator for Transforming Professional Learning to Prepare College- and Career-Ready Students: Implementing the Common Core (TPL), a Learning Forward project conducted in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education and funded by the Sandler Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Additional work for Learning Forward includes evaluation of a multi-state extension of the TPL project and evaluation of Learning Forward’s efforts to build a system of administrator support in Fort Wayne Community Schools. Our experience includes evaluation or professional learning across the state Maryland, professional development needs assessment for Fairfax County Public Schools, evaluation of professional learning communities in Garden Grove Unified School District (CA), evaluation of the ETIPS administrator decision making initiative at the University of Virginia (FIPSE), and multiple projects in partnership with Truenorthlogic.
Since completing a comprehensive evaluation of the Collier County (FL) Migrant Education Program, one of the largest district level migrant education programs in the country, Arroyo Research Services has served as subject matter experts for statewide migrant working groups, advised state level migrant education programs on evaluation strategy, supported Migrant Education Program Comprehensive Needs Assessments, conducted state level migrant education program evaluations for New York, Maine, Mississippi and Kentucky, and evaluated Mano en Mano Maine’s Blueberry Harvest School, an intensive summer program for migrant youth. We are pleased to partner with ESCORT, the premier migrant education program technical assistance center housed at the State University of New York at Oneonta.
Arroyo Research Services has conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and related studies of curricular innovations for major publishers and school districts seeking to pilot programs in mathematics, reading and 21st Century Skills. Curriculum studies draw on our direct experience working with school districts, our commitment to methodological rigor, and training in specific requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences.
In addition to our work in Title I Part C, Migrant Education, Arroyo Research Services has conducted evaluations of Title III (English Language Acquisition), Title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals), and has provided evaluation consultation for federal education programs, particularly under Title I, on behalf of the East Coast Technical Assistance Center and Regional Technical Assistance Center for Florida Regions 3 and 4 at the University of South Florida.