PBC Deep Partnership Curriculum Evaluation
PBC launched a new multiyear study titled, Princeton-Blairstown Center’s Deep Partnership Curriculum Evaluation (DPCE), to assess the viability and efficacy of PBC’s newly developed in-school curriculum. This study is approved to run from April 2009 through August of 2012.
The DEPC research works with schools to determine if the curriculum designed by PBC and implemented in schools positively affects students’ academic performance and behaviors. The PBC curriculum is currently integrated into two schools programming: Foundation Academy, in Trenton NJ and Burnet Street Elementary School, in Newark NJ.
Our primary research question is “Do students who receive the PBC curriculum improve academically?” This will be assessed by investigating standardized math, language arts, and science test scores. The evaluation will compare standardized test scores from schools implementing the PBC curriculum with comparison schools. We will also consider each class longitudinally, to see if there is improvement over time. Where it is permissible we prefer to work with individualized data as we will be able to more accurately assess the PBC curriculum; where it is not permissible the publically-accessible aggregated school report card data is be used. The evaluators work with schools individually to ensure compliance with each school’s regulations and local school board policies in addition to state and federal regulations.
The secondary research question is “Do students who receive the PBC curriculum demonstrate improved behaviors?” This will be assessed in three ways: 1) attendance rates and discipline records, 2) the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI), administered by the Center for Social and Emotional Education (CSEE), distributed via computers at each school and, 3) observable student behaviors during program sessions.
To ensure that the results of these two research questions accurately measure the PBC curriculum, this research will also monitor how the PBC curriculum is implemented. To this end, two process outcomes will be considered. First, “Do the program facilitators deliver the curriculum with fidelity?” This will be assessed by tracking the facilitators’ activity logs and by Student Program Evaluation Forms and Facilitator Program Evaluation Forms which are filled out after each program session. Second, “Is the new PBC Curriculum viable?” This will be assessed by descriptive statistics and text analysis of the Student Program Evaluation Forms and Facilitator Program Evaluation Forms.
Please direct any questions you have about this research project to PBC’s Research Associate:
Scotty Utz
sutz@princeton.edu
EVALUATIONS FOR FOUNDATION ACADEMY
EVALUATIONS FOR BURNET STREET SCHOOL