Knowledge Center

Using Data to Drive Change: A Guide for College Access and Success Stakeholders

In this guide, OMG shares select lessons learned from our work as evaluators of two Lumina Foundation initiatives. It is our hope that readers will find information and tools that will be helpful in their daily work in college access and success, no matter what role they play: policymaker, executive director of a community-based organization, university dean, counselor, nonprofit service provider, student, or parent.
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Using Social Network Analysis to Inform Program Evaluation: New Connections and a Networked Approach

These case studies highlight the lessons learned from a one-day convening on Social Network Analysis (SNA) held at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  
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The Early Learning Network: A Formative Evaluation of Pennsylvania’s Comprehensive Data System

This report provides an overview and key findings from OMG’s evaluation of the Early Learning Network, a comprehensive data system that will enable Pennsylvania to improve the effectiveness and availability of its early childhood programs.  The project was funded by the William Penn Foundation.
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Ways to Work: 2009 Credit Score Impact Study

In this follow-up to its 2006 evaluation of the national Ways to Work lending program, OMG describes a number of key findings, including:  borrowers who received a Ways to Work loan (and did not default) had higher credit scores following their participation in the Ways to Work program; scores for many borrowers continued to increase, even well after their loan repayment period ended; and borrowers increased their participation in mainstream financial markets following their receipt of a Ways to Work loan.
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Evaluation of the National Ways to Work Program

Ways to Work is a federally certified Community Development Financial Institution based in Milwaukee, WI. Through a network of loan offices across the country, it provides small, short-term, low-interest loans to “working poor” families with challenging credit histories.  In this report, OMG details the findings and lessons learned from its 2006 evaluation of the program.
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Arts Education for All: Lessons from the First Half of the Ford Foundation’s National Arts Education Initiative

In 2004, the Ford Foundation launched the National Arts Education Initiative – a bold and forward-looking effort to address issues of equity and access in arts education. 
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Design as a Catalyst for Learning

Co-authored by OMG President Gerri Spilka, this book presents findings from National Endowment for the Arts research on the inclusion of design in the K-12 curriculum.
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Going Comprehensive: Anatomy of an Initiative That Worked

This report provides a detailed and instructive overview of the Comprehensive Community Revitalization Program (CCRP) in the South Bronx. 
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Eisenhower Fellowships Final Evaluation Report

The Eisenhower Fellowships were created in 1953 in honor of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as a way to promote international understanding and peace through the exchange of information, ideas, and perspectives among emerging leaders from different countries. OMG conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the Eisenhower Fellowships in 2004. In this evaluation report, OMG describes the impact that the program has had on fellows, and on their institutions and societies as well.
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Next Generation Leadership Program: Final Assessment Report

Created by the Rockefeller Foundation, the goal of the Next Generation Leadership (NGL) program is to bring together leaders who represent diverse communities and share a desire to work collaboratively on revitalizing democracy.
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