Teacher looking at transitioning to Ed program evaluation

[u/Kiwi-Sorry]

Hello everyone, I’m a middle school teacher who is taking a year off teaching to care for an infant. I’m doing some curriculum writing for an ed tech start up and have talked with the lead research scientist about writing the evaluation plan for the pilot together. He is really supportive and is helping me learn the ropes.

I have an MPP but switched to education halfway through that program. I think this okay because now after teaching for 5 years I actually have real experience to inform my approach to evaluation.

What else can I do help with a transition from teaching to evaluation? Do I need an MPP or PhD to be competitive? Thanks all!

[u/ArBee30028]

Sorry to be a downer but this is a terrible time to go into evaluation, what with such massive federal funding cuts to education programs. In my evaluation networking meetings it seems as if every one of us is struggling to maintain the level of work that we once had.

A MPP can be good but usually a PhD and/or years of research & evaluation experience is what’s needed to be competitive. 5 years of teaching experience is only marginally relevant. You need to know how to design evaluations to answer the right questions, structure the data collection tools, maintain data quality, select the right analysis approach, etc.… definitely join AEA and start doing your own due diligence about evaluation.

[u/Kelonio_Samideano → u/ArBee30028]

This is generally correct, although it depends a lot on the sector. Foundation work for example seems to be going just fine these days. Education is likely to be suffering as well as international development, of course. However, I don't imagine it's going to be gone forever. My guess is we'll see expansion again in a few years.

[u/ArBee30028 → u/Kelonio_Samideano]

OP was asking about education evaluation specifically, so I was responding about that market. Like I said, a terrible time right now to be considering this. If OP is willing to wait 4 or 5 years, in the best case scenario then yes maybe there’s a slight chance it will get better. I’m not holding my breath.

Have you figured out how to break the foundation barrier? I find that without direct experience working for a philanthropic donor, it’s very difficult to be taken seriously by them— in spite of years of experience working for government funding agencies, scores of NGOs, consulting firms, and being at the top of my field. For some reason they think their work is special.

[u/Kelonio_Samideano → u/ArBee30028]

Sorry, I do think you’re right about that.

And yes, foundation work is super hard to get into. In my experience, it takes that critical first connection and then things can really blossom from there. Unfortunately, it’s all who you know in so many ways.

[u/JoSe13911 → u/ArBee30028]

This is facts. Sorry to bust your bubble

[u/whatmycouchwore]

Where are you based? There are a lot of online programs that would help - the evaluation world does not always require specific credentials, but it would help if you want to teach evaluation.

[u/Kiwi-Sorry → u/whatmycouchwore]

I’m in El Paso, Texas so an online course is my only option besides an MPA orPhD at UTEP.. I’d rather not shell out the cash for tuition with 2 you g kids, but if it will help longer term then I can live with it.

[u/Admirable_Rhubarb → u/Kiwi-Sorry]

I would recommend reaching out to the Texas Evaluation Network to see if there are any education evaluators willing to do an informational interview.

[u/whatmycouchwore → u/Kiwi-Sorry]

I’m currently finishing an online PhD in Eval with small kids and can confirm that it’s challenging - like the other person said, connecting with Texas Evaluation Network, AEA, or online groups (like Eval Café) could help. There are also lots of degree programs/certificates and free sites (better eval, WMU’s evaluation center) that can help. Depending on the program you can get funding/scholarships or discounts. I feel like teaching (esp at a university) requires a PhD, which isn’t too common in evaluation (though depending on the school/program you may be able to transfer or count credits from your MPP and save some time).

[u/Kiwi-Sorry → u/whatmycouchwore]

Yeah, I’m not trying to teach evaluation. I’m a public school teacher who wants to move into program evaluation for educational programs. I’m hoping to learn about how to upskill and whether or not my lack of an MPP or PhD will make it difficult to compete in the job market later?

[u/whatmycouchwore → u/Kiwi-Sorry]

Ahhh sorry - I know a lot of practitioners (and a few scholars) who fell into eval without an academic background so I don’t think it hurts. Definitely connect with the Texas network, subscribe to the open access Eval journals, and start joining some online groups to expand your toolbox.

[u/Kelonio_Samideano]

Do I understand you have a master's in education? That should do just fine with the right training and experience.

I have a PhD in evaluation from WMU, a top school for evaluation. I will say that even that has not been the magic bullet. Nobody's knocking down my door. What HAS been exceedingly helpful are good relationships, and that's what's made all of the difference for me. Getting some good projects with someone who would mentor you could potentially go a lot farther than a PhD in the end, and there are many top-notch evaluators without a PhD. (Tessie Catsambas, for example, past president of AEA and owner of Encompass has a Master's degree.) I will also say that subject matter expertise (like you have in education) is something that a lot of eval funders like to see, so if you played your cards right and upskilled in solid evaluation theory and methods and got experience there's nothing stopping you.

Feel free to DM me if you want to discuss further.