Systemic Research provides comprehensive educational program services for your unique needs. We are ready to assist you with each phase of your program from its inception to implementation along with evaluation and reporting. Systemic Research has more than a decade of experience working with colleges and universities (especially underrepresented minority serving institutions), K-12 school systems, non-profit education agencies, and private foundations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

Needs Assessment

Systemic Research can assist you in identifying your needs through consultations, institutional surveys, and feasibility studies. Your institution’s mission and goals are the guidelines for short and long-term needs assessment. The findings of the needs assessment is a foundation for institutional strategic planning and action plans for specific goals and objectives. The action plan identifies the human, financial, and technical resources available and needed- now it’s time to write a grant proposal.

Grant Proposal Writing Assistance

Numerous educational grants are available from the federal and state governments and private foundations. Systemic Research offers expertise in grant research and writing. We will help you find currently available programs that are most feasible for your institution’s background and needs.

Our professional grant proposal writing services include planning of the grant program design, development of the project description, and submission of the proposal.

Program Implementation Consultation

Once your project has been approved and funded, a detailed action plan must be developed. Systemic Research will work with project leadership and staff to review the implementation plans, objectives, and baseline data outlined in the original proposal and make any necessary realignment of activities and targeted milestones to reach your goals. We will design a logic model to graphically depict your project’s inputs/resources, activities, and short- and long-term outcomes. Systemic Research will also share its expertise and knowledge base of best practice strategies with you.

Program Evaluation and Assessment

Systemic Research will develop an evaluation framework based on your project’s mission statement, goals, objectives, logic diagram, and implementation plans. The evaluation framework will identify key evaluation questions, relevant metrics and indicators, data sources for each objective/goal, along with the master evaluation plan over the project period. Systemic Research will design and develop both quantitative and qualitative key indicator data collection instruments. Evaluation and assessment activities may include data collection, validation, and analysis, survey design and implementation, site visits, focus groups, and individual interviews. We can conduct comparison group and longitudinal studies for evidence based results.

For long-term projects, formative evaluations are conducted annually to assess project progress. Constant communication between project leaders and the evaluators will assure on-time feedback so that appropriate mid-term revisions to project activities can be made. Summative evaluations are conducted at the conclusion of a project to measure final outcomes and provide information on the project's effectiveness.

Key Indicator Data Collection and Analysis

Grantors and stakeholders are demanding concrete evidence of program effectiveness. Key indicator data is the most critical component of the project progress monitoring and evidence-based evaluation and assessment. Systemic Research has extensive experience in designing and implementing customized key indicator data collection instruments. We will work with you to determine the scope and depth of data needed and design a user friendly spread-sheet or web-based data collection system. The collected data is analyzed and presented in a fact book, report, or booklet format.

Project Highlight Publications

Successful projects should be publicized. We have expertise and experience in producing professionally designed booklets and brochures to share your project strategies and outcomes. Systemic Research can document your accomplishments so that they can be disseminated to stakeholders, and the general public. The publications can also be used to inform potential funders of your institution’s activities, achievements and future needs.

Self-Study Reports for Institutional Accreditation

Accreditation by a regional or national accrediting agency approved by the US Department of Education demonstrates that your institution meets acceptable levels of quality as determined by independent review. Depending on the accrediting agency, the self-study report must address certain criterion or standards such as Institutional Mission and Integrity, Student Learning & Effective Teaching, Programs and Services, and Leadership and Governance in addition to student, faculty, and institutional data. Systemic Research can assist your institution meet all of the requirements through collaborative team work.

• NSF Press Release 07-125                             [September 26, 2007]
  Program Provides Blueprint for Recruiting Minorities to Science and Engineering

  Latest data and follow-on projects bring successful strategies used by the Model Institutions for Excellence to other institutions
  Link: http://nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=110124&org=NSF&from=news

• NSF & NASA's Perspective (Video Interviews) , MIE Master Database and References: 1995-2007(DVD) [August 2007]

  • MIE Historical Background
  
  
  • MIE Uniqueness of the Program
  
  
  • MIE Achievements & Highlights
  
  
  • MIE Disseminating Models of Excellence

• News Release: MIE Fact Book 2005 Highlights Featured in Diverse Issues in Higher Education [July 2007]

• News Release: TCUP STEM Education Indicators and Highlights 2005 Featured in Diverse Issues in Higher Education [March 2007]

Sustaining Tribal Colleges and Universities and The Tribal College Movement

Highlights and Profiles September 2008

In 1994, Tribal Colleges and Universities received an historic and long overdue designation. With the enactment of the federal Educational Equity in Land-grant Status Act of 1994, Tribal Colleges “officially” became land-grant institutions. Ironically, Tribal Colleges and Universities – possibly more than any other institutions of higher education in the country – have embodied the essence of “land-grant” institution since their inception. This report provides a vivid account of Tribal Colleges and their commitment to realizing their land-grant mission, as well as their collective efforts to achieve their missions to their respective tribal nations and communities. It is an inspiring story of service to community, culture, tradition, and environment, to land and to people of a place.

Quality STEM Education Leads to Success

Vision of National Science Foundation’s HBCU Undergraduate Program April 2008

The National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) in 1999 to enhance the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and research at HBCUs. The overarching goal of HBCU-UP is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who are well prepared to participate in and lead the STEM workforce.

Weaving Native Knowledge into STEM Teaching and Learning at Tribal Colleges and Universities

A Report Based on TCUP Self-Evaluation Templates (TSET) March 2008

The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) was initiated to address the challenges and opportunities of undergraduate STEM education at Alaska Native, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian serving institutions. TCUP promotes increased participation and achievement among Native students through quality STEM teaching and learning. Each institution’s project approaches STEM education improvement based on their unique needs. Typical strategies include course and degree program development, curriculum enhancement, undergraduate research opportunities, student support, use of information technologies, and faculty professional development. Tribal Colleges integrate native culture into their curricula, including STEM disciplines, to provide their students with a holistic education based on Native and Western knowledge. This report highlights achievements and progress of 26 TCUP projects that were active in AY 2005-06.

MIE Fact Book 2005 [August 2007]

The Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) Program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was designed in the early 1990s as a long-term initiative to empower institutions of higher education to serve as models to improve the quantity and quality of America’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates at minority-serving institutions (MSIs). MSIs include Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The ultimate goal was to create a higher quality, more diverse national STEM workforce.

MIE Master Database and References: 1995-2007 (DVD) [August 2007]

This DVD contains the MIE Master Database, which includes various publications and presentations collected during the MIE program period from AYs 1992-93 to 2004-2005. The Master Database contains archived MIE Self-Evaluation Template (MSET) data collected from five MIE institutions and a consortium of tribal colleges between 1995 and 2006. Also included is the MIE Fact Book 2005, published in 2007, which presents a summary of key indicator data showing their progress over a 13-year period.

       

Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn [February 2007]

The Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) in Jacksonville, Florida sought and received a grant from the National Science Foundation in 1998 to establish the Jacksonville Urban Systemic Initiative (JUSI). JUSI’s goal was to reform mathematics and science education through teacher professional development that focuses on an inquiry-based, standards-aligned curriculum and instructional model.

JUSI was the driving force for policy changes in science and mathematics education in DCPS. More students are passing the state assessment test and increasing numbers of students are enrolling in and successfully completing higher level and Advanced Placement mathematics and science courses. Achievement gaps between underserved minority and white students have been narrowed.