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Enhancing student learning through braided internships, robotics summer camps, and creation of certificate programs.

June 18, 2019 by Social Policy Research Associates
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This final report from SPR’s evaluation of Yavapai College’s Applied Pre-Engineering Program Expansion describes how the college created a braided internship program (weaving together work experience and a college certificate), new certificate programs, and enhanced student learning with support from a National Science Foundation ATE grant. SPR’s two-year evaluation of the grant activities included a site visit, interviews, focus group, surveys, and an outcome analysis.

Waiting to be seen. Demanding to be heard.

March 11, 2019 by Social Policy Research Associates
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The CA Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) on Early Childhood Education seeks to improve the child care system by putting system reform ideas into action. As part of this process, the BRC is drafting a report with a set of recommendations to improve the child care system. The BRC believes that parent input is critical for drafting recommendations that are authentic and that will truly make a difference in the lives of California’s parents. Therefore, Parent Voices partnered with Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) to Continue reading →

New Learning Paper on Centering Race in Health Equity Advocacy

February 14, 2019 by Social Policy Research Associates
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SPR is proud to share this newly published learning paper on the work of The Colorado Trust’s Health Equity Advocacy grantees, which discusses how the decision to center race in health equity advocacy came about; describes the framework and strategies that the HEA Cohort’s Racial Equity Team used to build racial equity capacity; and presents results on the progress that has been made. It also includes recommendations for others who may be interested in centering race in social change efforts. The HEA Cohort has much Continue reading →

Orientation to the CEMETS Apprenticeship Reform Lab

December 26, 2018 by Social Policy Research Associates
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There is a rising tide of interest in modernizing and expanding apprenticeships in California as a strategy to fight income inequality and address a growing jobs-skills mismatch. California’s Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom has set an ambitious goal to increase apprenticeships from 84,000 to 500,000 by 2029, but what will it take to achieve that goal? The Center on the Economics and Management of Education and Training Systems (CEMETS) Reform Lab in Switzerland helps states and countries around the world with challenges like this, drawing on evidence Continue reading →

2018: Year in Review

December 20, 2018 by Social Policy Research Associates
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This year SPR staff logged thousands of hours partnering with our clients to, amongst other things, lead a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Audit; conduct a regional scan to explore individualized learning across three Midwest states; and participate in conversations around the possibility of bringing apprenticeship to a larger scale within California and the U.S. Below we share a subset of our work in this Year-in-Review. For the new year, we look forward to continuing to be thought partners with our clients and engaging with the Continue reading →

Come Join SPR at APPAM!

November 2, 2018 by Social Policy Research Associates
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Come join SPR as we share our insights at the Association for Public Policy and Management (APPAM) 2018 Fall Research Conference, Evidence for Action: Encouraging Innovation and Improvement, from November 8-10, 2018 in Washington DC. Follow @social_policy and #2018APPAM on Twitter for updates and reflections. Please join us for the following sessions: Thursday, November 8, 2018: 10:15 AM-11:45 AM Panel: Providing Public Workforce Services to Job Seekers: The WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker Program Gold Standard Evaluation Madison A – Mezz Level (Mariott Wardman Park) Continue reading →

See you at AEA 2018!

October 23, 2018 by Social Policy Research Associates
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SPR is excited to share our insights at the annual meeting of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) 2018 Annual Conference,  Evaluation 2018: Speaking Truth to Power, from October 29th – November 3rd 2018, in Cleveland, OH. Follow @social_policy on Twitter for updates and reflections from #Eval18. Please join us for the following sessions: Wednesday, October 31, 2018: 4:30 PM-5:30 PM Fostering Early Field Building: Evaluating Seeds of an Emerging Field Veterans Meeting Room C (Hilton Cleveland) SPR Staff: Traci Endo Inouye, Rachel Estrella Thursday, November Continue reading →

Skills for Success: Apprenticeship and the Future of Work

October 18, 2018 by Social Policy Research Associates
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SPR is thrilled to help coordinate Skills for Success: Apprenticeship and the Future of Work, an afternoon event that is part of a weeklong festival called Zurich Meets San Francisco. When:       Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 2:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Where:      Hotel Kabuki 1625 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94511 [Map] Skills for Success will focus on how dual education and training systems can help engage untapped talent in California and help prepare us all for the future of work. With tight labor markets Continue reading →

SPR at the 2018 iNACOL Symposium!

October 9, 2018 by Social Policy Research Associates
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Join SPR at the 2018 iNACOL Symposium in Nashville, TN! SPR will be joined by Allison Barmann, Vice President of Strategy and Learning at the Bush Foundation, to share results from our regional scan of individualized learning, and lead a rich discussion on culturally relevant teaching and learning in action. Culture in the Classroom: Embedding Cultural Relevance in Teaching and Learning Authentic learner-centered education is individualized to each student and grounded in their unique learning styles, aspirations, and cultural identities. In 2016 and 2017, SPR Continue reading →

Implications of California’s 2018-19 Budget for Career and Technical Education

June 29, 2018 by Eduardo Ortiz
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This blog post was written by Jennifer Hogg and Laura Pryor of Social Policy Research Associates. Career and Technical Education (CTE) is experiencing a resurgence in high schools nationwide, and California is no exception. Much of this resurgence is due to its evolution, from traditional vocational education to CTE pathways, which can provide students with a tangible leg-up for both college and career. California’s 2018-19 budget provides the financial support districts need to create, expand, and sustain high quality programs. History of CTE funding in Continue reading →