Applied Research Center¹
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The Applied Research Center is one of the foremost centers for evaluation, survey research, and policy analysis in academic settings in the U.S. In 1998, the Center won the American Evaluation Association Award for the Best Evaluation of the year and was commended by the Georgia General Assembly for providing them with independent and accurate assessments of public programs. The Center has two main divisions, one for evaluation and policy analysis, and the second for survey research.

The evaluation and policy analysis projects have included many studies of educational programs. The Center's work in analyzing the effects of Georgia's innovative HOPE Scholarship and in evaluating the nation's first universal pre-kindergarten program has brought national attention. In addition, the Center has extensive experience in measuring performance of programs in areas as diverse as education, transportation, and information systems. Evaluations conducted by the Center staff range from large-scale statewide programs to school-based innovations.

The survey research division conducts many surveys each year including the quarterly Georgia State Poll. The center maintains state-of-the-art telephone and web-based survey technology and is staffed by some of the best-trained and most versatile interviewers and programmers in the Southeast.

The Center's evaluators, survey researchers, and policy analysts often work together on projects that require surveys as part of a larger analysis. In recent years, survey techniques used for tracking pre-election trends, were adapted for use in assessing the effects of air pollution reduction efforts for metro-Atlanta. In addition, surveys were conducted to assess Governor Jim Hunt's First in America report card, for which the Center's Director, Gary Henry, served as a principal advisor for the development of this unique educational accountability system.

In This Page:

• Projects
• Reports

Projects

Studies of Pre-K Programs in Georgia. Gary Henry. The longitudinal study, which began in 1996, is a five-year evaluation of Georgia's Pre-Kindergarten Program. Now in its fifth year, the study has followed a probability sample of over 3,000 four-year olds from 203 Pre-K classes selected from across the state. Student outcomes including teacher assessments of academic and behavioral skills and promotion have been collected and analyzed anually. In 2000, an additional study of Pre-K began to better understand the process of selecting preschool or childcare experiences for four-year olds and to assess the impacts of those experiences on children through the first grade. Office of School Readiness (OSR). ($1,079,875)

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Mike Foster. This project conducts follow-up phone and in-person interviews with women who left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. The study is collecting detailed information on the women's labor force involvement and economic circumstances more generally as well as on key factors affecting the lives of their children (e.g., day care arrangements). The project includes interviews with women and children in homeless and domestic violence shelters. DHR. ($717,524)

Office of School Readiness: Registry Project. Gary Henry. The data entry project conducted for the OSR consists of three major data components: class rosters, lead teacher credentials, and resource coordinator reports. The project offers accurate data on children's Pre-K experiences and provides a base for future research and evaluation. ($713,183)

Council for School Performance. Gary Henry. In 1993, the Georgia General Assembly, at the request of Governor Zell Miller, established the Council for School Performance to provide impartial and accurate information for school improvement and accountability. From its inception in 1993 until 2000, the Council provided an independent and objective analysis of education performance in the State of Georgia. The Council's responsibilities included research on the allocation and use of lottery funds, including the HOPE Scholarship, Georgia's Universal Pre-K program, and support for instructional technology throughout the state. The Council took the lead in conducting independent evaluation of programs such as the League of Schools and Post-Secondary Options as well as research on educational programs such as staff development and its relationship to student achievement in Georgia. The Office of Educational Accountability replaced the Council in July 2000. OPB. ($485,000)

Impact of Welfare Reform on Women Leaving Temporary Assistance. Mike Foster. This project conducts follow-up phone and in-person interviews with women who left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. The study is collecting detailed information on the women's labor force involvement and economic circumstances more generally as well as on key factors affecting the lives of their children (e.g., day care arrangements). The project includes interviews with women and children in homeless and domestic violence shelters. DHR. ($235,935)

The Impacts of High Stakes Accountability on Teachers' Professional Development and Student Achievement. Gary Henry. The Spencer Foundation has funded a two-year study of the impacts of high stakes accountability in the South. This study is being conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of North Carolina. Through case studies and surveys, researchers will attempt to assess how differences in state accountability systems affect teachers' professional development, attitudes toward student learning, and, if possible, student achievement. $209,777 (2001-2002)

Probing Motorists' Perceptions of Highway Quality. Theodore Poister. This research is designed to learn more about Pennsylvania motorists' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the highways they drive on and the basis upon which they rate these highways. Using a detailed telephone survey of motorists in eight counties, this research will provide the Department of Transportation with a better understanding of its customers' concerns regarding highway maintenance issues. Based on this information, the project will also pilot a revised mail-out survey instrument for soliciting customer feedback annually on a statewide basis. Pennsylvania State. ($199,030)

Evaluation of the National School Health Leadership Institute. Judith Ottoson, John Thomas, Greg Streib, and Mark Rivera. This project evaluates the efforts to coordinate school health through the training of school health coordinators. The three-year national Institute involves a series of training and booster sessions, along with technical assistance to support on-site implementation of Institute learning. The evaluation will inform Society decisions about school health policy. American Cancer Society. ($125,429)

North Carolina Teacher and Principal Survey. Charlotte Steeh. North Carolina citizens, teachers, and principles were surveyed on a variety of topics including teachers' professional development, principals' leadership, interactions with parents, and performance of schools within the state. Results were used in Governor Hunt's report on the progress of North Carolina to become among the top ten states in education performance in the nation. North Carolina's Education Research Center. ($100,000)

Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Fast Track Intervention. Michael Foster. Funded by the Center for Mental Health Services, SAMSHA, this project provides a benefit-cost analysis of the Fast Track (FT) intervention, an ongoing multi-site randomized clinical trial designed to prevent the onset of serious conduct disorder and chronic violent crime in adolescence. NIH. ($99,090)

Assessing the Skills of Local Government Managers. Mark Rivera and Greg Streib. The Applied Research Center, in partnership with the Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies, developed a knowledge-based assessment instrument and a "multi-rater" assessment instrument in conjunction with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The instruments assist local government managers in their professional development by providing feedback on 17 practices determined by local government managers to be important for effective local government management. Now that the instruments have been developed and validated, the Applied Research Center will oversee instrument scoring, report generation, database maintenance, and analysis of the results for the next five years. ICMA. ($93,881)

Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3). Gary Henry and Mark Rivera. This project addresses the need for preparing new teachers for the best use of technology in the classroom and increasing their use of technology within the existing curriculum. In addition to increasing opportunities for mentorship and collaboration, the program strives to set student standards for technology proficiency and collaboration at all levels of education. As the PT3 Evaluator, ARC will assess implementation and impact on participating pre-service teachers and in-service teachers to determine the extent of preparation provided to PT3 teachers to use technology in the classroom, their use of technology in classroom lesson plans and activities, and their teaching efficacy beliefs regarding the use of technology in the classroom. College of Education/U.S. Department of Education. ($81,646)

High Museum of Art M.A.P. Evaluation. Gary Henry and Mark Rivera. A central goal of the Metro Atlanta Partnership for Visual Arts and Learning (MAP) is to equip educators in two metro Atlanta school systems to use the High Museum of Art's innovative reinstallation of its permanent collection as a tool for improving student literacy. Key objectives include a) providing substantive content; b) implementing a field-tested model to develop teacher mastery of new content and approaches; and c) using a classroom-based pedagogical focus to ensure the effective translation of new material. As the external evaluator, ARC conducts surveys, focus groups, interviews, and observations to identify strategies for program improvement, assess the impact of MAP on teacher and student success, and determine if there is a "scale-up" impact on nonparticipating teachers and students at these same schools. This led to a request by the High Museum of Art to develop an evaluation plan for the newly endowed Goizueta Foundation Teacher Institute for Visual Arts and Learning which will draw on MAP evaluation research findings and include an ongoing evaluation research component. Metro Atlanta Partnership for Visual Arts and Learning. MAP. ($68,503)

Rural Health 2000: RDD Telephone Surveys
This is an ongoing county-by-county telephone survey of residents in Georgia's rural counties conducted in cooperation with the Georgia Health Policy Center for the Networks for Rural Health. The survey assesses respondents' opinions toward and respondents' utilization of a wide range of health care services including physician and hospital services, mental health services, nursing homes and substance abuse programs. Additionally some demographic and health status data were collected including the information concerning respondents health insurance. To date surveys have been completed in eleven rural counties. Seven of these were completed in 2000 ($63,635).

Customer Satisfaction Survey 2000-2001: Telephone Surveys
These monthly surveys have been designed to measure the satisfaction of employers and individual clients with Georgia's workforce development programs as implemented by the Georgia Department of Labor. The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) requires each state to carry out this evaluation. A total of 2500 telephone interviews will be completed for the 2000-2001 fiscal year with a sample of employers and clients. ($59,953)

Evaluation of Educational Service Delivery. Gary Henry and Margaret Brackett. For the Governor's Education Reform Study Commission, the Center's staff conducted an assessment of the services (for example, financial and administrative and instructional improvement) that were received by schools across the state of Georgia. Both high performing and low performing schools were selected to assess differences in how services were procured and the perceived effectiveness of the services. Governor's Office of Planning and Budget ($59,270)

Charitable Giving 2000: Telephone Survey
The Community Foundation working with Research Atlanta sponsored this study of individual charitable giving in the twenty-two county metropolitan Atlanta area. The findings from 2500 interviews will indicate the health of the nonprofit sector in the metropolitan region and provide insight into policy issues. The results will also serve as a baseline for ongoing trend analysis. ($47,693)

Monitoring and Evaluation of the Leadership in Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) Initiative. Judith Ottoson. Through an IPA arrangement, the ARC will be involved in developing and implementing an evaluation plan to assess the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS/STD/TB programming in fifteen LIFE countries, 14 in Africa and India. The LIFE initiative is a joint venture between the CDC and USAID, in collaboration with in-country governmental agencies, NGOs, and multi-national organizations, such as UNAIDS. Countries decide which programs are best suited to meet needs. The M&E evaluation plan needs to be flexible, collaborative, and implementable to answer questions of effectiveness about diverse programs in diverse settings. Global AIDS Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ($39,475)

Evaluation of Georgia's Title II Program. Gary Henry and Margaret Brackett. In the first year of this project, the evaluation team worked with various stakeholders to develop measures for each of the program objectives, then they gathered data on these measures and presented a plan for obtaining data on the measures that were not currently being collected. Georgia Board of Regents ($35,934)

Treatment Needs Assessment 2000-2001: Telephone Survey
This study, conducted for the Georgia Department of Human Resources, will provide an inventory of current substance abuse treatment programs in the state of Georgia. After existing programs have been identified, an administrator in each program is asked to complete a telephone interview regarding the services the program provides. The information will be the basis for identifying gaps between treatment need and service availability in Georgia. ($30,912)

Performance Outcome Measures Project: Georgia Division of Aging 2000-2001
The Georgia Division of Aging Services is participating in a national evaluation coordinated by Westat to learn how in-home services have helped those who receive them and how satisfied clients are with their care. Approximately 500 telephone interviews are being conducted with a sample of clients who have received Personal Support Services during the first six months of 2000 and with an independent sample of 200 caregivers. ($25,711)

State of Georgia Employees 2000: Mail Survey
This survey, sponsored by the Georgia Merit System, consisted of a mail survey administered to 3,000 state employees. The purpose of the study was to measure the impact of civil service reform on hiring and promotion practices, job satisfaction, and job performance among state workers. The study was carried out in cooperation with faculty in the Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies at Georgia State University and in the Carl Vinson Institute of Public Policy at the University of Georgia. ($25,083)

Evaluation Framework for the National Foundation for the Centers of Disease Control. Judith Ottoson. This project involves the development of a framework to guide evaluation policy at the foundation. The framework is used both to guide evaluation efforts of grantees and the decision-making process by foundation management. NFCDC ($24,965)

Labor Force 2000
The Fiscal Research Program at Georgia State University sponsored this study of Georgia's workforce. The information collected in the survey will provide a better understanding of Georgia residents who work or who want to work, and their migration patterns over the last five years. Interviews were conducted. ($15,086)

Evaluation of the WISE Program. Gary Henry and Margaret Brackett. Interviews and focus groups were conducted on three campuses that receive work-study funds for students from Georgia's WISE Program. Georgia's Student Finance Commission ($14,220)

North Fulton Chamber of Commerce 2000: Mail Survey
A one time mail survey of businesses in the greater North Fulton County area. The intent of the survey was to assess the kinds of businesses that are located in the area, what kinds of new businesses would benefit those already in existence, and what the existing businesses think about North Fulton in a variety of relevant areas, such as traffic flow, utilities, quality of available work force, and satisfaction with the area. All members of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce (n=928) were included in the sample, plus a randomly selected portion of non-members (n=772), for a total sample size of 1,700. ($9,815)

Tobacco Retailers 2000: Telephone Survey
The survey research lab called 1380 tobacco retailers in Georgia and administered a 3-minute survey to determine whether or not the business still exists at the same location as last year. The information will be used to help the staff in the Georgia Department of Human Resources monitor tobacco prevention steps that retailers are required to implement. ($4,739)

GSU Housing: Web and Telephone Surveys
A web-based survey of 350 GSU students was carried out for the Brookwood Group. The survey was designed to assess the housing needs of Georgia State's graduate, married and international students. Respondents were asked to evaluate various floor plan options and the associated price. A follow-up telephone survey of 100 respondents was also conducted. ($4,564)

Advanced Academy for Future Teachers: Self-administered Survey
Sophomore, junior, and senior high school students in twenty-four metropolitan Atlanta schools representing five districts were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire during a selected homeroom period. Respondents were asked various questions designed to assess their attitude toward a teaching career. A similar assessment tool will be distributed after the program has been completed. The survey research lab designed the questionnaire and scanned the data. The Metropolitan Atlanta P-16 Community Council is sponsoring the study. ($1,313)

Georgia State Poll 2000: 4 RDD Telephone Surveys
Four times a year the SRL conducts this survey of 800 Georgia residents. Various groups and organizations that purchase question time fund the Poll. Recent participating organizations include the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Department of Transportation, BellSouth, Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education, and the Georgia Economic Development Association.

Teachers' Supply and Demand in Georgia. Gary Henry and Dan Bugler. For the first time in Georgia, actual data on teachers from each district were used to estimate the balance between the supply and demand of teachers for each region of the state and each level and subject taught in public schools. Large shortfalls are expected to occur in the next ten years. Although the state trains nearly enough teachers, not enough become teachers in the state and too many leave in their first five years. Georgia's Board of Regents.

Reports

Pre-K Longitudinal Study: Findings from the 1998-1999 School Year. Gary T. Henry, Laura Henderson, and Kathleen C. Basile.

Evaluating the Work Incentive for Student Education (WISE) Program. Margaret H. H. Brackett and Gary T. Henry.

Estimating Teacher and Administrator Supply and Demand in Georgia. Daniel T. Bugler, Gary T. Henry, and Margaret H. H. Brackett.

Perceptions of Teacher Quality in Georgia. Margaret H. H. Brackett, Gary T. Henry, and Daniel T. Bugler.

Statistical Report for the First in America Teachers' Survey. Charlotte Steeh, Brian Cannon, Jeff DeWitt, and Julie Flowers.

Statistical Report for the First in America Principals' Survey. Charlotte Steeh, Brian Cannon, Jeff DeWitt, and Julie Flowers.

Statistical Report for the First in America Survey of the General Population and Parents. Charlotte Steeh, Jeff DeWitt, and Julie Flowers.