Evaluation Consultant

WHO ARE WE?

Dare to Revitalize Education thru Arts & Mediation (DREAM!) is a community-based organization whose mission is to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by helping students and educators acquire the confidence and practical skills they need to resolve conflicts creatively and productively, increasing students' engagement with learning and supporting academic success. DREAM! serves this mission through programs that integrate Restorative Practices and Peer Mediation training in and through the arts.

DREAM! aims to collaborate with educational partners, students and their families, to activate our personal passions and professional talents towards building safe and creative spaces to empower young people to lead effective campaigns for peace, reducing school violence, suspensions, and arrests, creating more successful learning environments.

CONSULTANT DESCRIPTION: 

(DREAM!) is seeking an experienced educational evaluation consultant with experiences in assessing student progress as well as impact on school culture in schools and Community Based Organizations (CBO’s). The Evaluation Consultant will work in close collaboration with the DREAM! Executive Director and Senior Team to implement the evaluation plan as described below, and will also function as an advisor to the project. This consultancy will be for the a two year project with the following goals:

(1) ensure that the project is being implemented consistent with its theory of change and timeline;
(2) conduct student, teacher, administrator, support staff and parent assessments following agreed upon protocol
(3) provide interim reports of findings that can be integrated into the regular programmatic practices of DREAM! and can provide timely feedback aimed at informing early- and mid-course corrections that will improve the probability of attaining project objectives; and 
(4) create a final report assessing the impact of DREAM! on youth, educators and schools via qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

Throughout the last year of the project, the evaluation will be guided by the following questions: 

• Q.1 What was the fidelity, quality and impact of the implementation of the programs, including the:
  • teacher, admin and support staff experiential and arts integrated training on restorative practices,
  • teacher and support staff coaching sessions
  • parent experiential and arts integrated restorative practice workshops
  • experiential and arts integrated peer mediation/ conflict resolution training and workshops with students
  • youth arts-based “Talk it Out”campaign clubs for peace
• Q.2 To what extent did the project achieve its target of reducing suspensions and in-school arrests by 50% in participating schools?
• Q.3 To what extent did the project meet its goals of improving school climate, including:
  • the use of Restorative Practices through the arts
  • the quality of peer and teacher-student relationships
  • the quality of staff to staff relationships
•  Q.4 To what extent did the project improve student and parent communication, conflict resolutionskills, and the social-emotional well-being of participating students?

QUALIFICATIONS: Specific requirements include: 

• Minimum of a MA, (PHD. preferred)
• At least 2 years of experience in evaluating Youth Development, Restorative Practice or Arts
• Education in schools and/or CBO’s
• Working with the NYC Department of Education, the NYC Department of Youth and Community
• Development and Community Based organizations is a plus
• Experience working in communities of color a plus
• Demonstrated success developing and evaluating program models
• Must commit at least one day/wk or 25-30 hours/month devoted to the DREAM! consultant work
• Can commit to at least 1.5 years in the position
• Experience having worked with a high-performance, collaborative, constructive peer group
• Excellent and effective verbal and written communication skills with exceptional attention todetails
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to and passion for DREAM!’s mission

TIMELINE: November, 2022 - July, 2024

TIME COMMITMENT: approximately 10 hours/week, max

CONSULTANT FEE: 40K over a period of 2 school years.