Did you know that other National Science Foundation programs focused on STEM education have centers that provide services to projects? EvaluATE offers evaluation-specific resources for the Advanced Technological Education program, while some of the others are broader in scope and purpose. They offer technical support, resources, and information targeted at projects within the scope of specific NSF funding programs. A brief overview of each of these centers is provided below, highlighting evaluation-related resources. Make sure to check the sites out for further information if you see something that might be of value for your project!
The Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE) is a network for NSF’s Discovery Research K-12 program (DR K-12). The evaluation resource on the CADRE site is a paper on evaluation options (formative and summative), which differentiates evaluation from the research and development efforts carried out as part of project implementation. There are other more general resources such as guidelines and tools for proposal writing, a library of reports and briefs, along with a video showcase of DR K-12 projects.
The Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) has an evaluation section of its website that is searchable by type of resource (i.e., reports, assessment instruments, etc.), learning environment, and audience. For example, there are over 850 evaluation reports and 416 evaluation instruments available for review. The site hosts the Principal Investigator’s Guide: Managing Evaluation in Informal STEM Education Projects, which was developed as an initiative of the Visitor Studies Association and has sections such as working with an evaluator, developing an evaluation plan, creating evaluation tools and reporting.
The Math and Science Partnership Network (MSPnet) supports the math and science partnership network and the STEM+C (computer science) community. MSPnet has a digital library with over 2,000 articles; a search using the term “eval” found 467 listings, dating back to 1987. There is a toolbox with materials such as assessments, evaluation protocols and form letters. Other resources in the MSPnet library include articles and reports related to teaching and learning, professional development, and higher education.
The Center for Advancing Research and Communication (ARC) supports the NSF Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE) program through technical assistance to principal investigators. An evaluation-specific resource includes material from a workshop on implementation evaluation (also known as process evaluation).
The STEM Learning and Research Center (STELAR) provides technical support for the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. Its website includes links to a variety of instruments, such as the Grit Scale, which can be used to assess students’ resilience for learning, which could be part of a larger evaluation plan.
Cheryl Endres 
Doctoral Associate, The Evaluation Center
Cheryl Endres is the EvaluATE doctoral associate and a student in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Evaluation program at Western Michigan University. She has experience as both an internal evaluator/project coordinator for several grants funded by the U.S. Department of Education and as an external evaluator for a number of local programs.
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EvaluATE is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers 0802245, 1204683, 1600992, and 1841783. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.