Evaluation

OMG’s evaluations help our clients invest most effectively in lasting social impact. Building on OMG's deep understanding of systems change as well as our knowledge of key content areas, our evaluations result in more effective client-centered program recommendations. We identify linkages between proposed strategies and tactics, and expected outcomes, and then establish indicators that measure actual progress. We work with our clients in real-time to ensure that project work stays on track and to make any necessary changes along the way. Reflecting our commitment to maximizing our clients’ effectiveness, we always share lessons learned in a clear and accessible manner.

Evaluation of the Strive Partnership Value Added
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OMG is conducting an evaluation of the Strive Partnership’s collective impact in the Greater Cincinnati region. Founded in 2006, the Strive Partnership -- comprised of more than 300 organizations -- plays a catalytic role in bringing partners together across sectors to work to improve educational outcomes for children. The Strive Partnership regularly measures and publicly reports its progress based on a set of numeric outcome indicators. Nonetheless, the organization is now interested in assessing its own value using qualitative methods. OMG’s evaluation includes an online partner survey; 25 in-depth, interviews with select stakeholders; and a series of focus groups with partners. The OMG team is working closely with the Strive Partnership staff to ensure that findings are timely and informative to the organization’s ongoing self-improvement process.  In addition to a final report, OMG is providing the Strive Partnership with an evaluation plan and tools for repeating the evaluation in the future.
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Community Design Collaborative’s Infill Philadelphia Initiative
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Infill Philadelphia was a five-year initiative of the Community Design Collaborative (Collaborative) to help older communities rethink their neighborhoods by considering how existing physical assets might be redesigned to spark community revitalization. Through Infill Philadelphia, the Collaborative sought to move from promoting community-based neighborhood design on a project-by-project basis to advancing change at a systems level. The Collaborative hired OMG to conduct a summative evaluation of the Infill Philadelphia initiative. The evaluation providedan assessment of Infill Philadelphia’s implementation and impact and made recommendations for to further advance influence policy and systems change.
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Evaluation of the Benefits Access for College Completion Initiative
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The Benefits Access for College Completion initiative is testing whether six colleges across four states can develop and institutionalize scalable and sustainable policy and practice changes that help a diverse population of eligible students gain access to an array of public benefits; and whether increased access to these benefits can increase college completion for low-income students. OMG, with DVP-Praxis, is conducting a formative and summative assessment of the initiative.  Formative evaluation findings are shared through real-time memos with the colleges and the technical assistance team to fine-tune the work on the ground. The summative evaluation will include critical lessons for scaling within states and across the community college field. Impact findings will be used by CLASP and AACC in their benefits access advocacy efforts.
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Heinz Out of School Time Arts Initiative
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The Out of School Time Arts Initiative (OST) provides deep arts experiences for children and youth in distressed communities during non-school hours. As a pilot with six high quality out of school time providers, the strategy explores how the arts can facilitate youth development through arts learning. A developing cadre of teaching artists plays an important role in delivering the curriculum among a growing network of well-trained out of school time arts providers. Along with The Heinz Endowments as a funder and overall strategy facilitator, the Forbes Fund, Gateway to the Arts, and Rondout Consulting are implementing partners delivering arts teaching and evaluation training to teaching artists and the OST organizations through monthly learning community meetings. The evaluation tracks overall progress and lessons learned about the strategy and serves as a formative reflective learning vehicle.
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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Community Partnerships for Postsecondary Success Portfolio
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OMG is conducting an evaluation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Community Partnerships for Postsecondary Success Portfolio. The portfolio is a multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative to increase postsecondary completion rates in eight communities across the country. OMG’s formative and summative evaluation documents system-level impact in each community, how communities are achieving that impact, and the added value of various grantmaking strategies. Yielding a set of design principles, the evaluation will inform the Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Strategy Refresh in 2013, and other communities interested in advancing postsecondary system change.
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The Conservation Landscape Initiative
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With Patti Patrizi, OMG evaluated the efforts of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to promote integrated approaches to large landscape conservation in Pennsylvania. The evaluation examined the influence of DCNR’s vision, initiatives, investments, and partnerships on stewardship, zoning, and policy development, as well as assess DCNR’s strategy to develop seven CLI landscapes across the state. The evaluation helped develop sustainable economic, environmental, and stewardship practices and policies.
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The Arts are Central to Quality Education
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OMG evaluated this nine-city effort to shift arts education policy and bring programs to scale. Prior to the launch of the evaluation, OMG conducted an evaluative study as part of the evaluation planning. Intending to build sustainable local partnerships and public will for policy in support of integrated arts education, the grantees implemented strategies to strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships and strategic communications capacities as well as target strengthened arts-integration school programs.
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Early Learning Network
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The Early Learning Network is a comprehensive data system that links data on child and family services in Pennsylvania. Funded by the William Penn Foundation, OMG’s evaluation focused on process issues including: how buy-in was gained from key stakeholders and providers; training and technical assistance provided to users of the system; reporting capacity; and the likelihood for sustainability. The evaluation provided useful feedback to the Office for Child Development and Early Learning, prompting system upgrades and other supports to improve implementation.
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Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Competitive Foods Agreement
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The Competitive Foods Agreement is a voluntary contract with food companies to provide healthy food options in select elementary, middle, and high schools. Using a combination of surveys, interviews, and focus groups, the evaluation examined changes in marketing and food offerings among schools working with food companies that have signed the agreement. The evaluation also supported program strengthening and scaling for the Alliance.
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University-Community Revitalization Partnerships
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OMG is leading evaluations of the University Park Alliance in Akron, Ohio and the College Hill Alliance in Macon, Georgia. Each community offers unique contexts, assets, and challenges with different strategy emphases; nonetheless, using university-led community revitalization approaches, they share similar overarching strategies. The lessons learned are informing management to better guide the local teams and to advise future public and private investments. The evaluation will also provide national lessons on the role of universities as anchor institutions in leading economic and community revitalization in 21st century economies.
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