Research and Evaluation
Children, youth, and families
Bridges to the Future Evaluation Project (BTF)
Principal Investigator: Jessica Barnes
Additional CERC members: Jason Almerigi, Tomuel Scott
Funder: United Way of Genesee County; C.S. Mott Foundation
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center; Department of Psychology; Department of Educational Administration
Community Partners: United Way of Genesee County; Genesee Intermediate School District; Flint Community Schools
Project Description: Bridges to the Future (BTF) is a Genesee County program that uses an adaptive youth development model to reinforce fundamentals learned during the school day by providing fun and creative learning experiences after school. The program provides cultural, academic, and recreational enrichment to youth and their families through quality after-school activities. The primary goal of the program is to assist youth in meeting their developmental needs and milestones. Youth who participate in BTF are provided with opportunities to engage in activities that foster youth leadership, youth empowerment, and asset building.
This project includes a mixed-methods approach that utilizes the power of both qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods to assess the extent to which the program is fulfilling its goals. Through the use of structured interviews (of youth, their parents, teachers, and BTF staff) and surveys (of youth, their parents, and BTF staff), we assess the extent to which BTF is providing the core program components, and the influence of the program on participants.
Please contact Jessica Barnes for more information
Character Education in Genesee County
Principal Investigator: Jessica Barnes
Additional CERC members: Jason Almerigi
Funder: U.S. Department of Education
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center
Community Partners: Genesee Intermediate School District
Project Description: The Genesee Intermediate School District has been funded to coordinate character education strategies and initiatives for the ten public districts, providing oversight and guidance for each district to design a local initiative. Local district projects are mandated to take into consideration the views of parents, students, students with disabilities (including those with mental or physical disabilities), and other members of the community, including members of private and nonprofit organizations, in the design and implementation of the character education programs. To evaluate this initiative, we are implementing a time series, quasi-experimental design to: 1) track all project activities provided to each student; 2) collect information on project implementation; and 3) collect information concerning student outcomes.
Please contact Jessica Barnes for more information
Clinical Trial of the P.L.A.Y. Project
Principal Investigators: Richard Solomon; Laurie Van Egeren
Additional CERC members: Miles McNall
Funder: National Institute of Mental Health
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center
Community Partners: Ann Arbor Center for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics; Easter Seals
Project Description: The P.L.A.Y. Project is an intensive parent-focused intervention designed to increase functioning in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. This project is a pilot study of community implementation and effectiveness comparing socio-emotional and language outcomes in children and stress outcomes in parents in two Easter Seals sites providing the P.L.A.Y. Project intervention with two Easter Seals sites where children receive the community standard of care.
Please contact Laurie Van Egeren for more information
Coordinated Community Student Survey Project (C2S2)
Principal Investigators: Jessica Barnes; Jason Almerigi
Additional CERC members: Tomuel Scott
Funder: Genesee Intermediate School District; Flint Community Schools; United Way of Genesee County; C.S. Mott Foundation; Ruth Mott Foundation; U.S. Department of Education
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center; Department of Psychology; Department of Statistics and Probability
Community Partners: Genesee Intermediate School District; all 21 school districts in Genesee County, including Flint Community Schools; United Way of Genesee County
Project Description: In 2003, a research team that included research staff at Michigan State University and program staff from schools, districts, and the ISD in Genesee County convened to create a survey instrument called the Coordinated Community Student Survey (C2S2). The C2S2 tracks student outcomes across the county. An asset-based, developmental methodology was adopted, allowing the research team to examine how student outcomes change over time. The guiding research questions proposed are:
- What are student needs and strengths, and do these needs and strengths differ across communities?
- What are the critical ages to begin prevention activities across different domains of student outcomes?
- What are the differences in needs and strengths for males and females?
- How do the home, school, and neighborhood environments influence student outcomes? How do these influences change as the student ages?
- How does participation in support services offered at school influence student outcomes?
The Genesee Intermediate School District, Flint Community Schools, and all 20 school districts in Genesee County are using the Coordinated Community Student Survey to provide information about student needs and about the effectiveness of the health, safety, and nutrition services available to K-12 students across the county.
Please contact Jessica Barnes for more information
Evaluation of EightCAP, Inc. Early Head Start Program
Principal Investigator: Jessica Barnes
Funder: EightCap, Inc.
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center; Department of Statistics and Probability
Community Partners: EightCap, Inc.
Project Description: Early Head Start (EHS) is a comprehensive program that focuses on enhancing the child's development and supporting the family during the critical first three years of the child's life. The EightCAP, Inc. child development program serves pregnant women, infants and toddlers ages 0 - 3 in Gratiot, Isabella, Montcalm and Ionia counties. This program offers weekly visits to the home and monthly group meetings for the parent(s) and child(ren). EHS focuses on family support, medical and nutritional care, and emotional well-being for enrolled children. EHS also networks with other agencies to ensure the family is aware of available resources. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine how effectively the program meets its goals of (a) promoting the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth of infants/toddlers; (b) supporting parents/parent figures in their role as primary caregivers and educators of their children; (c) strengthening community supports for families with young children; and (d) developing highly trained, caring staff to deliver EHS services.
Please contact Jessica Barnes for more information
Evaluation of the Child Care Expulsion Prevention Program
Principal Investigator: John Carlson, School Psychology Program, College of Education
Additional CERC members: Laurie Van Egeren
Funder: Michigan Department of Community Health
MSU Partners: School Psychology Program, College of Education; Community Evaluation and Research Center; Department of Family and Child Ecology; University-Community Partnerships
Community Partners: Michigan Department of Community Health; Michigan 4C Association (Community Coordinated Child Care); participating sites across Michigan
Project Description: The Child Care Expulsion Prevention (CCEP) initiative provides consultants and training to assist child care providers and parents with challenging behavior exhibited by children in daycare and preschool settings. This statewide evaluation assesses child, parent, and provider outcomes as well as the implementation and fidelity of the program to the principles outlined in the CCEP model. A comparison group of families referred for challenging behavior who live in regions not served by the CCEP program are also being examined to assess the impact of the program.
Please contact Laurie Van Egeren for more information
Evaluation of Project SKIP to a Great Start
Principal Investigator: Jessica Barnes
Funder: Genesee Intermediate School District; Flint Community Schools
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center; Department of Family and Child Ecology; Department of Psychology
Community Partners: Genesee Intermediate School District; Flint Community Schools
Project Description: Since 2000, Michigan State University faculty and students in University Outreach and Engagement have been involved with Project SKIP to a Great Start, helping the Genesee Intermediate School District plan and implement an evaluation of the services provided by the project. We have examined the efficacy of Project SKIP by gathering information about family and child use of the program, parent efficacy, parent behavior, the home environment, and early child socioemotional development (from ages 2-5).
Please contact Jessica Barnes for more information
Enhancing Early Social-Emotional Functioning in Infants and Toddlers Using a Relationship-Based Infant Mental Health Approach
Principal Investigator: Holly Brophy-Herb, Department of Family and Child Ecology
Additional CERC members: Laurie Van Egeren
Funder: U.S. Administration for Children and Families
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center; Department of Family and Child Ecology; College of Nursing; University Outreach and Engagement
Community Partners: Jackson Community Action Agency; Eight Community Action Program
Project Description: The team has developed a curriculum designed to improve early childhood social-emotional outcomes among children participating in Early Head Start programs. To evaluate the curriculum, home visitors from two sites were randomly selected to receive training in the curriculum or provide their regular services, and outcomes from parents and children from these groups are being compared.
Please contact Laurie Van Egeren for more information
Flint Safe Schools/Healthy Students
Principal Investigator: Jessica Barnes
Additional CERC members: Jason Almerigi
Funder: U.S. Department of Education; Department of Juvenile Justice; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center; Department of Psychology
Community Partners: Flint Community Schools; Genesee County Community Mental Health; City of Flint Police Department; Genesee County Family Court Division
Project Description: Flint Community Schools, Genesee County Community Mental Health, City of Flint Police Department, and Genesee County Family Court Division have jointly conducted a community assessment and developed a comprehensive Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) plan for the students of Flint. The school district and its partners have developed a system of care to support safe and nurturing learning environments for students. To evaluate the effectiveness of this system, multiple sources of quantitative and qualitative data are being gathered and analyzed to address process and individual-level outcomes. Information concerning project activities, the dosage of project services, and the quality of project services are being documented by project staff. Surveys and interviews are used to collect information from project staff, teachers, parents, and students concerning interest, engagement, and satisfaction in project activities and services. Finally, data regarding student outcomes is being collected via the Coordinated Community Student Survey.
Please contact Jessica Barnes for more information
Michigan Evaluation of School-Based Health (MESH)
Principal Investigator: Miles McNall
Additional CERC members: Brian Mavis; Celeste Sturdevant Reed; Laura Bates; Lauren Lichty; Jason Forney
Funder: Michigan Department of Community Health
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center; University-Community Partnerships
Community Partners: Michigan Department of Community Health; School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan; Henry Ford Health System; Oakwood Health Care System; University of Michigan Health System; Health Delivery, Inc.; Center for Family Health; county health departments in Ingham, Chippewa, and Van Buren/Cass counties; and 18 Michigan public schools from Sault Ste. Marie to Jackson
Project Description: More than 60 school-linked health centers are providing a range of primary, preventative, and early intervention services to more than 100,000 children at all grade levels throughout Michigan. To date, there has been no statewide evaluation to assess the impact of these centers on the health outcomes and health care costs of the children they serve. The MESH project is studying the impact of school-based health centers on the health outcomes, healthcare costs, and school attendance of children in public schools throughout Michigan.
Please contact Miles McNall for more information
Network for Young Children School Readiness Evaluation
Principal Investigator: Laurie Van Egeren
Funder: Michigan Department of Education; W.K. Kellogg Foundation
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center
Community Partners: Calhoun County Intermediate School District
Project Description: The Network for Young Children (NYC) was initially funded by the All Students Achieve--Parent Involvement and Education (ASAP-PIE) initiative to increase school readiness outcomes in children aged 0-5 through home visiting, parent education, and developmental and health screening. After that funding stream was discontinued, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation provided additional funding to obtain school-entry outcome data. The results of the NYC evaluation suggested that the majority of participating children with developmental delay improved in their developmental outcomes during their time in the program; moreover, parents exhibited increases in behaviors likely to stimulate school readiness.
Please contact Laurie Van Egeren for more information
Parenting Skills Assessment Psychometric Study
Principal Investigators: Marguerite Barratt (now at NIH); Laurie Van Egeren; Celeste Sturdevant Reed
Funder: Research, Outreach, and International Programs Seed Grant, MSU College of Human Ecology
MSU Partners: Institute for Children, Youth, and Families; Department of Psychology
Community Partners: Allegan Intermediate School District
Project Description: Allegan Intermediate School District developed an observational tool of parenting behaviors, the Parenting Skills Assessment (PSA), designed for use by home visitors in monitoring change in families. This study examined the psychometric properties of the PSA, including factor structure, reliability, and validity.
Please contact Laurie Van Egeren for more information
Promising Practices for Youth Development
Principal Investigator: Laurie Van Egeren
Additional CERC members: Celeste Sturdevant Reed
Funder: High/Scope Foundation, from a grant funded by the W.T. Grant Foundation
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center
Community Partners: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
Project Description: High/Scope is conducting a study of the effectiveness of the Youth Program Quality Assessment, a feedback model of self-assessment and coaching to improve after-school program quality. As part of this research, CERC is conducting an analysis of staff processes to assess the implementation and use of the training program.
Please contact Laurie Van Egeren for more information
State Evaluation of All Students Achieve--Parent Involvement and Education (ASAP-PIE) Program
Principal Investigators: Hiram Fitzgerald; Marguerite Barratt (now at NIH); Laurie Van Egeren
Additional CERC members: Celeste Sturdevant Reed; Laura Bates
Funder: Michigan Department of Education
MSU Partners: Institute for Children Youth, and Families; University Outreach and Engagement
Community Partners: Michigan Department of Education; 23 intermediate school districts
Project Description: The All Students Achieve--Parent Involvement and Education Program (ASAP-PIE) was a statewide initiative designed to increase school readiness through home visits, parent-child play groups, parent education groups, developmental screening, and vision/hearing screening among children aged 0-5. Twenty-three intermediate school districts received funding; the evaluation assessed the implementation and outcomes resulting from the initiative. View reports
Please contact Laurie Van Egeren for more information
Systems Change in After-School Programs to Affect Childhood Obesity Rates
Principal Investigators: Miles McNall; Laurie Van Egeren
Funder: Mayor's Time, through a grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Center
Community Partners: Mayor's Time; United Dairy Association; Detroit Public Health Department
Project Description: This evaluation examines the implementation and programmatic and systemic outcomes for a health and nutrition curriculum provided to organizations within the Mayor's Time network of youth-serving organizations, most of which are community- or faith-based. The evaluation is looking at organizations' use of the curriculum and increases in provision of health-focused activities, changes in students' attitudes and knowledge about making healthy food choices, and systemic changes in normative structures, resources, regulations, and operations across the Mayor's Time system.
Please contact Miles McNall for more information
