Did you know
31% of school-aged children reported a high level of developmental assets at school?
SPSG has a proven history of delivering timely, accurate, and usable evaluation results that enable school districts to build and sustain the successes achieved under their grant projects.
SPSG uses evaluation techniques to maintain focus on the mission, purpose, goals, and objectives. We utilize a mixed-methods approach to ensure a thorough evaluation and assist our clients in developing strategic plans, maintaining fidelity, measuring progress, and promoting sustainability.
Experience
SPSG has vast experience in evaluating and implementing school safety programs. SPSG has served as the local evaluator for federal grant programs, such as:
- Safe Schools/Healthy Students Grant
- Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Grant
- Gang Resistance and Education Training Grant
- Secure Our Schools Grant
Unique Qualifications
Not only does SPSG have extensive experience successfully serving as the evaluator for school districts that have received federal grants, we are also knowledgeable about GPRA, EDGAR, and State Department of Education’s regulations and codes. Additionally, we have vast subject matter expertise in school security, safety, and promoting safe school climates. In particular, SPSG has significant experience with providing technical assistance and evaluating the effectiveness of evidence-based programs. We have assisted school districts with:
- Creating safe passageways to and from school
- Reducing student incidents, such as truancy, hall-walkers, and violations of the student code of conduct
- Integrating verbal de-escalation techniques for all school staff members
- Creating and implementing student cadet programs
- Defining roles and responsibilities of school personnel, security officers, and school police officers
- Enhancing the school’s emergency response plans and procedures
We work diligently with our clients to identify appropriate, evidence-based programs that reflect current research and effective practices that are appropriate to the age and developmental levels, gender, and cultural diversity of the populations that our clients serve.
Reporting
As the evaluator, SPSG collects and analyzes qualitative and quantitative data for the interim and final reports to the funding agency.
SPSG presents status and final reports to key stakeholders, including school boards and community-wide steering committees. SPSG makes successful presentations in the form of written reports, slide-show presentations, and oral presentations. We utilize our Interactive School Safety Database as a tool to collect and analyze information, as well as to disseminate information to school site personnel and the community at-large.
SPSG has Broad Experience in Evidence-Based Programs
SPSG has broad experience utilizing evidence-based programs when providing technical assistance, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of these programs for our clients:
- U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented School Policing (COP) materials that include: Problem Oriented Guides for Police: Bullying in Schools, Using School COP to Address Student Discipline Problems, and COPS Innovations: Addressing School Related Crime and Disorder.
- Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design and FEMA: Model and Matrix for Conducting Security and Vulnerability Assessments.
- FEMA: Test, Training, and Exercises and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Security Exercise and Evaluating Program.
- SPSG is proficient with the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System; in fact, several team members are certified by FEMA as instructors for these courses.
- Too Good for Violence and Too Good for Drugs.
- Verbal De-escalation and non-violent physical restraint.
- PBIS, Second-Step, Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, Love and Logic and Relational Aggression.
- We have also been successful in implementing mentoring programs, including student mentors, student courts, and student disciplinary committees.
- SPSG personnel have provided training for RESPECT (violence and bullying prevention), Good Touch/Bad Touch, and Stranger/Danger.
- SPSG has also worked with our clients to provide training and resources for parents and guardians. They include programs such as Warning Signs that My Child is Involved in a Gang, On-line Predators, and Enough is Enough.
Develop Strategic Plans, Maintain Program Fidelity, Measure Progress, and Promote Sustainability
SPSG will use nationally recognized best practices for strategic planning, maintaining program fidelity, measuring progress, promoting sustainability, and developing goals and measures over a multi-year period to create safe, respectful, and drug-free school environments and promote pro-social skills and healthy childhood development.
Evaluation Process
SPSG performs an ongoing evaluation process that includes a mix of process and outcome measures that use both quantitative and qualitative data related to the program objectives and serves the following primary needs:
- Summative account of the project accomplishments in relation to stated project elemental goals and objectives and GPRA reporting requirements.
- Regular, formative feedback to support continuous quality improvement of the project.
- Technical assistance to project partners to enhance their ability to collect, monitor, report, and use data associated with the activities offered by the school district, the project partners, and collaborative stakeholders.
- SPSG evaluates all grant activities using the following methods: empowerment, process, fidelity, and outcomes.
- SPSG is proficient with creating, updating, and maintaining Logic Models and Grant Budgets.
- SPSG is proficient with all federal reporting requirements under grants administered by the United States Department of Education, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and United States Department of Justice.