Resources for Project Evaluators

Evaluation 101 for Your Program Team

Welcome to the 5-minute evaluation series, designed to provide you with clear, easy to access information on how to build evidence on programs that support educator effectiveness. The series includes videos and resources written in plain language and designed to be watched or read in 5 minutes or less.

To view all videos in the series, visit our YouTube channel. A description of each video is listed below.

SUITE 1: The Evaluation Life Cycle

Evaluation for educators

This video is designed for people who are not evaluators but want to understand important evaluation issues as they consider evaluating an education program or policy.

Life cycle of an evaluation

This video provides an overview of the evaluation life cycle and WWC standards for rigorous education evaluation. Watch the Life cycle of an evaluationvideo or read the illustrated video script [PDF 1 MB]This video provides an overview of the evaluation life cycle and WWC standards for rigorous education evaluation.

View this one-page infographic Life cycle of an evaluation [PDF 1 MB]that provides definitions for each stage.

SUITE 2: Plan and Design

Carefully describe the people and context of your program.

This video discusses the importance of choosing the right comparison groups and outlines the most important factors in these decisions.

SUITE 3: Identify and Recruit Participants

Determine your sample size – Part 1

This 6-minute video explains why an adequate sample size is important to ensure that your results are meaningful, and describes the role that the minimum detectable effect (MDE) plays estimating the sample size you will need.

Determine your sample size – Part 2

This 6-minute video describes how different decisions related to cluster experimental designs affect sample size as well as the availability of pre-intervention data.

Evaluation Resource Database

Database for Evaluation Resources – This database, designed for both non-technical and technical audiences, can be filtered by each step and stage of the evaluation life cycle. It can also be filtered by focus on educator effectiveness, length, audience, and type of resource.

User’s guide for the database – A guide to getting the most out of the Database for Evaluation Resources.

Evaluation Resource Definitions – A list of definitions for the filter fields of the database.

Technical Assistance Materials for Conducting Rigorous Impact Evaluations – The materials on this page are designed for evaluators who want basic resources on the design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of findings from impact studies.

Evidence Resources – Information on how to meet the evidence requirements for this year’s competition.