Details
Education and Economic Development Act
SECC is providing evaluation assistance related to the South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA), a legislative mandate enacted in 2005. EEDA is comprehensive, reform-focused legislation meant to strengthen the state's workforce by improving college and career awareness and preparation among students through a series of college- and career-readiness efforts, as well as by providing targeted program assistance for at-risk students. To date, no formal evaluation has been conducted on the program. SECC Evaluation staff are working with SCDE staff to design and formulate an evaluation for EEDA that assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the program over the past 5 years as well as building in an evaluation component to strengthen and sustain ongoing program efforts.
This project is in the following state: South Carolina.
Previous Work Updates
2012
May
SECC Evaluation staff traveled to South Carolina May 7–9 to continue the evaluation work with SCDE staff. EEDA program goals, objectives, activities, and short-term and intermediate outcomes were clarified. A matrix was developed from the information that focused on program components, research questions, measures of desired outcomes, possible data sources, and likely analysis methods. In coming weeks, SECC Evaluation staff will continue to refine the evaluation matrix with SCDE staff.
April
SECC Evaluation staff continued to consider methods of evaluation for the three main components of the EEDA evaluation: (a) individual graduation plans, (b) regional education centers, and (c) seamless transition from secondary to postsecondary school. Logic model revisions continued with a focus on constructing a program description of the three components.
March
SECC Evaluation staff met with SCDE staff and the SECC SC state liaisons to discuss the logic model and begin identifying short-term and intermediate outcomes. The model will be the basis for developing an analysis plan for three key priorities of focus from the EEDA legislation. The next meeting to continue the work is scheduled for the first week of May.
February
SECC Evaluation staff reviewed additional EEDA documents to assist in the continuing identification of potential outcome measures. A revision of the logic model was constructed based on these documents for review in the March meeting.
January
SECC Evaluation staff reviewed EEDA annual reports to begin facilitating the development of a program logic model. Meeting dates were set for March 14 and 15 to develop the logic model and assist SCDE staff in identifying the EEDA evaluation outcomes.
