The Resources in Reading Team has expertise in evaluation studies of grant initiatives. We have experience in developing and administering a variety of survey tools, facilitating focus group sessions, and administering and interpreting standardized assessments. Below is an overview of several evaluation studies we have conducted in the past five years.

1) Program evaluation for the Reading Excellence Act (REA) grant initiative, Literacy Collaborative, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. 
This program evaluation consisted of the development of survey tools for both teachers and parents, administration of the survey tools, tabulating and analyzing the results, preparing a detailed report, and presenting that report to key administrators and school personnel. 

2) Harford County Public Library (HCPL) Public School Needs Assessment Project in Maryland. 
This project involved developing and administering a survey tool to all teachers, administrators, media specialists, & district level content area supervisors (K-12) in the school system. An eighty-seven percent response rate was achieved, with a total of 2,344 persons responding. The findings of this needs assessment were documented in a report prepared by Resources in Reading and used by HCPL to guide decisions in the areas of materials, programs, and services.

3) Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) Teen Parents Community Assessment Project in Maryland. 
This project was designed to assist BCPL in increasing their outreach and improving their services to teen parents. As a first step in the process, the library determined that a needs assessment of teen parents should be conducted in three areas that have a high concentration of teen parents in the county. This would enable the library to develop an effective program that would appeal to teen parents and meet their needs. The next step would be to use this input to design a model teen parent program. The final step would be to conduct focus groups with the teen parents from the three areas to get their input as to the effectiveness and appeal of the program design. This would give BCPL a model Teen Parent Program to pilot in their new Lansdowne branch before fully implementing the program in all of their branches.

Resources in Reading worked with a committee to develop the assessment tools, administer the assessments, compile and analyze the results, and make recommendations for the model plan. 

4) Program evaluation for the Carroll County, MD Public Library’s Emergent Literacy Peer Coaching Pilot Study. 
This program evaluation consisted of developing, administering and analyzing online surveys for the study participants.

5) Program evaluation for the Harford County, MD Public Library’s Learn, Explore, and Play (LEAP) Science Program. 
This program evaluation is ongoing and consists of the development of survey tools for children and adults, administration of the survey tools, tabulating and analyzing the results, analyzing circulation data, preparing a detailed report, and presenting that report to key administrators and school personnel. The evaluation will be completed in the fall of 2009.