Evaluation Services

In addition to providing technical assistance,  CIRCLE has been proud to provide evaluation services to several groups and organizations. Examples of these organizations include:

• Bloggingheads (in progress) – CIRCLE is evaluating the impact of Bloggingheads videos on the viewers’ tolerance and civility, using a randomized controlled experiment. The intervention and evaluation are funded by the Omidyar Network.
• Bonner Foundation (in progress) – The Bonner Foundation is a network of college campuses with programs providing scholarships for low-income youth for civic engagement work. CIRCLE, in partnership with the Bonner Foundation, is studying the use of technology and social media to organize and promote civic engagement work on campuses.
• Bringing Theory to Practice (BTtoP)/Tufts University (in progress) – CIRCLE, in collaboration with BTtoP and Tufts University, is studying whether there is an interconnection between Tufts students’ civic development and psychosocial well-being.
• Building Impact - CIRCLE partnered with Building Impact on the Study “Work and Service: How Building Impact’s Model Fosters Civic Engagement in the Workplace,” which studies  the effects of providing individuals and companies with opportunities to donate and volunteer on sustainable participation and connection to local communities.
• Center for Public Integrity (in progress) - CIRCLE is interviewing reporters and editors to learn about the impact of the CPI’s investigative reporting on campaign coverage in 2012. The intervention and evaluation are funded by the Omidyar Network.
• CloseUp Foundation (in progress) - CIRCLE is conducting a formative evaluation.
• Columbia Journalism Review (in progress)- CIRCLE is evaluating efforts by the Columbia Journalism Review to influence campaign coverage in the 2012 elections. The intervention and evaluation are funded by the Omidyar Network.
• Flackcheck (in progress) – CIRCLE is evaluating the impact of this project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, using a combination of surveys, online focus groups, and a randomized controlled experiment. The intervention and evaluation are funded by the Omidyar Network.
• Healthy Democracy Fund (in progress) – CIRCLE is evaluating the impact of the Oregon Citizens Initiative Review process on media coverage and policymakers in other states. The intervention and evaluation are funded by the Omidyar Network.
• iCivics – CIRCLE is evaluating the effects of a new iCivics computer-based civics curriculum using a randomized, controlled experiment in Florida high schools.
• Illinois Civic Mission of Schools Coalition (in progress) – CIRCLE is helping to design school climate assessments.
• Indiana Humanities Council (in progress) -  CIRCLE is helping to design a statewide study of the impact of the public humanities.
• Massachusetts Department of Education, Service-Learning Initiative (in progress) -  In partnership with the MA Department of Education, CIRCLE is studying the effects of service-learning courses on  academic achievement.
• TakingITGlobal- CIRCLE, along with TakingITGlobal, studied the effects of TakingItGlobal programming on the civic engagement of its users. TakingITGlobal use the power of online community to facilitate global education, social entrepreneurship, and civic engagement for millions of youth worldwide.|
• YouthBuild - CIRCLE and YouthBuild collaborated on the study entitled “Pathways into Leadership: A Study of YouthBuild Graduates.” Using participatory action research, we learned about the effects of the YouthBuild program on sustainable leadership. YouthBuild is a youth and community development program that simultaneously addresses core issues facing low-income communities: housing, education, employment, crime prevention, and leadership development.