OnTrack Greenville Community Schools Evaluation
South Carolina
Opportunity
OnTrack Greenville is a student success initiative funded through the Department of Education (DOE) Community Schools Grant. The initiative aims to improve long-term social-emotional and academic outcomes for students in five high-poverty schools. To understand the effectiveness of the program, United Way of Greenville County contracted with HSRI to conduct a multi-year process and outcomes study.
Approach
HSRI is using a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Throughout the life of the study, students and staff at participating schools completed an annual survey, and HSRI team members conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with students, teachers, administrators, and initiative leaders. Additionally, HSRI has leveraged other research approaches, including case studies and social networks analyses, to meet the core goals of the evaluation: 1) obtain a comprehensive picture of the implementation and offer constructive recommendations for improvements and 2) understand the impact of the initiative on student socio-emotional outcomes and academic achievement.
Impact
HSRI has provided reliable, timely reporting on demographics and initiative outputs to ensure OnTrack Greenville met all obligations of their DOE Community Schools grant but also looked beyond core grant requirements to provide concrete, actionable feedback on initiative implementation. Effective Community Schools initiatives rely on the collaboration of school districts, schools, and community partners. Utilizing qualitative insights and quantitative trends, HSRI has offered concrete guidance on streamlining collaboration processes and communication pathways to improve the identification of student needs and the timely provision of services.