August 27, 2009
Contact: Dr. Tony Marchesi, 304.347.0427 or 800.624.9120, ext. 5427
tony.marchesi@edvantia.org

Charleston, WV—An interesting educational approach is under way at several demonstration sites across the country, and Edvantia, Inc. will play a part in helping educators understand how well this approach works.

In greater Cincinnati, Ohio, an organization called Strive Together has designed a community partnership model intended to create a seamless education pipeline to carry children from birth to career. Strive has engaged Edvantia to evaluate the implementation of this model at four Education Partnership Implementation Network (EPIN) demonstration sites, which are located in California, Indiana, Texas, and Virginia.

If the EPIN work succeeds, it will result in high-level leaders and sustainable local infrastructures to support a coordinated and comprehensive cradle-to-career education pipeline in the various communities. Strive wants Edvantia to find answers to several research questions. First, does (and how does) the Strive framework (which is based on evidence-driven decision making using the six-sigma methodology) make a difference? Other questions include these: What can be learned from the technical assistance provided to the sites? How does the implementation process unfold at the sites?

"Strive has created a model that holds real potential for urban communities to support education in a very different way," says Dr. Kristine Chadwick, who leads the Edvantia study. "This is not pay the property tax and hope for results. This is let's all pay attention to being sure our children are prepared for 21st century careers. Everyone involved in this effort really wants to know if it can work—and what makes it successful so it can be done again elsewhere."

From August 2009 to October 2010, Edvantia evaluators will conduct reviews of each site's implementation of the framework, using several methods to collect data and information. Researchers will conduct document reviews, looking at agreements and documents such as governance structures, communication plans, progress measures, action plans, and the online collaboration site. Interviews with key stakeholders, including technical assistance providers, community partners, and project managers, will gather participant perspectives. Members of the Edvantia team will participate in conference calls with EPIN staff and attend EPIN events. In addition to an overall report, the Edvantia team will develop site portraits to illustrate the unique contexts of each implementation.

About Edvantia: Edvantia is a nonprofit corporation, founded in 1966, that partners with education agencies, foundations, publishers, and service providers to apply expertise in research, evaluation, professional development, and technical assistance to help schools and students succeed. Specialty areas include district and school improvement, teacher quality, systems development and alignment, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), 21st century skills, and college access. Learn more at the Edvantia Web site or contact Dr. Tony Marchesi (see above).

About Strive: Founded in 2006, Strive is a partnership that spans all sectors of Greater Cincinnati society. The sectors work together to help each child in the urban core succeed from birth through some form of college into a meaningful career. Strive unites common providers around shared issues, goals, measurements, and results, and then actively supports and strengthens strategies that work. Learn more at the Strive Web site.