Project Evaluation

The external evaluation of the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) is being conducted by Evaluation & Research Associates (ERA). The evaluation provides ongoing, formative feedback to project stakeholders to help guide project decision-making as well as summative reporting on the impact of the project and progress toward its goals.

Questions guiding the NGCP evaluation are as follows:

• How is NGCP being implemented?
• To what extent do NGCP participants have increased access to shared resources?
• To what extent do K-12 programs participating in NGCP have increased access to and use of exemplary practices related to serving girls in STEM?
• To what extent and how does NGCP impact collaboration between girl-serving STEM programs and organizations?
• How effective and sustainable is the work of NGCP Collaborative Leadership Teams?*
• Are girl-serving STEM programs strengthened by NGCP to effectively reach and serve underrepresented girls in STEM?*
• Do K-12 school counselors access and use resources related to girls' interest and engagement in STEM through NGCP?*

* Questions added as part of the 2011-2016 Extension Services grant evaluation

The NGCP evaluation utilizes a mixed-method approach with quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. The data being collected include metrics and information on the project's implementation from the national and Collaborative levels, and the involvement and impact on those participating in NGCP activities, such as girl-serving STEM programs and organizations and others who support girls in STEM, with minimal amounts of data collected from the youth being served.

Evaluation of the NGCP is being conducted by Evaluation & Research Associates (ERA). ERA provides evaluation services for organizations interested in program improvement and/or looking at the impact or outcomes of their programs as well as research and online survey administration.

NGCP Evaluation Summary (PDF)
This brief report highlights findings from four years of the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) using data from annual surveys administered to Program Directory entries, reports completed by mini-grant recipients, post-event and post-webinar surveys, surveys to Collaborative Leadership Team members, and metrics to show the project’s reach. For example, at the time of the report in spring 2011, 3,275 participants had attended an NGCP in-person event and, of those completing an online survey, 77% had followed-up with somebody they met there. Seventy percent of partnering programs receiving a mini-grant indicated they planned to continue to work together. The report was prepared by Evaluation & Research Associates, evaluators of NGCP.