MNA is contracted to complete a summative evaluation of the 3-year homeless education program or the McKinney Vento Act (MVA) for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD. In fall 2014, AACPS launched a series of initiatives to ensure that homeless children and youth have easy access to free and appropriate public education without barriers to educational and enrichment opportunities. The program was designed to meet the requirements of the federal laws as well as state regulations to facilitate …
News and Updates
MNA goes to Tennessee!
Pellissippi State Community College (PSCC) in Knoxville, TN contracts with MNA to complete the 5-year NSF-funded S-STEM grant. The project, Supporting College and Career Education through Student Scholarships in STEM (SuCCESS) will support 24 non-traditional scholar students with scholarships to enable them to complete degrees in Agricultural Science, Animal Science, Engineering Technology, and Mathematics. The project has three main goals: Increase participation, provide intensive support …
To be or not to be (a grant evaluator) that is!
MNA contracts with Wiley Education Services to write about a career in grant evaluation. Read all about it through a personal story lens in an upcoming blog for American University's School of Professional and Extended Studies (AU SPExS). Writing cap on! Thanks to Chris Lysy for giving permission to use one of his cartoons. …
MNA to join Hinds Community College Utica Campus (MS) to lift up students through a $5.1million USDE-funded Upward Bound grants
Over the course of five years, MNA will conduct the external evaluation study of the four USDE-funded Upward Bound grants. Part of the federal TRIO program, Upward Bound provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their pre-college performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. The program serves high school students from low-income families and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. The four awards are expected to help at …
MNA goes to New Orleans to work with Dillard University
We are proud to work with Dillard University to externally evaluate their NSF-funded HBCU planning grant - IMPACTS@DU. Over the course of the year, MNA will assess the university's STEM course(s) re-alignment, faculty teaching and engagement, student support services and course taking patterns and future career plans. Additionally, up to 25 school and pre-university students will attend a series of STEM institutes, workshops, and complete research camps to learn about STEM opportunities on …
MNA partners with Appalachian State University and Caldwell Middle Schools (NC) to evaluate the Google-funded Computer Science program: CoSMIC
The two-year Google, Inc.-funded CoSMIC program brings together teams of professors and graduate students from the AppState University’s computer science and mathematics departments and trained CS teachers from Caldwell MS in after school clubs and summer camps. CoSMIC has four goals 1) increase the perception of computer science, especially in underrepresented groups such as females and minorities; 2) improve competencies in basic coding and programming skills; 3) build awareness of computer …
MNA partners with Hinds Community College-Utica Campus (MS) to conduct research for the 5-year NSF-funded HBCU-UP Implementation Grant: STEM-UP Academy
MNA will work with Hinds Community College - Utica Campus in Mississippi to complete the research component of the five-year HBCU-UP Phase II Implementation Project: Establishing a Cohesive Community College STEM Institutional Transformation Academy - STEM-UP Academy. The goal of the project is to recruit and assist students in navigating their educational paths and to increase retention and graduation rates of students with STEM associate degrees. The project aims to specifically increase the …
SABES: A remarkable STEM journey in Baltimore City Public Schools
The NSF-funded Math and Science Partnership (NSF-MSP) project SABES or STEM Achievement in Baltimore City Public Schools in close partnership between Johns Hopkins University's Schools of Engineering and Education comes full circle with a grand culminating STEM Showcase event on May 3rd. Students, teachers, staff, after-school partners and facilitators engaged over 500 students in grades 3-5 across nine schools who showcased their in-school and after school STEM projects that emphasized …
MNA will evaluate three Math and Science Partnership (MSP) consortium projects for Worcester County Public Schools, MD.
MNA is selected to evaluate three Math and Science Partnership (MSP) consortium projects—Genetics: It's all in the genes, Critical Reading in Science, and Scientific Process in the Life Sciences for Worcester County Public Schools, MD. Over the course of summer and early Fall, MNA will work with the project team to complete the evaluations. These grants address an urgent need for a cohort of teachers in elementary and elementary/middle school grades in 8 high-need rural school districts on the …
Early and prolonged exposure to structured early learning opportunities show positive effects on children’s social, emotional, and learning abilities
In their annual external evaluation report to Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) on Early Learning Centers (a.k.a. Judy centers) at a school district in Maryland, MNA found that children who joined the center a year or so prior to the new students show a marked difference in their social, emotional, and learning skills. Based on data collected during summer 2015 and across the academic year (2015-2016) from assessment scores (e.g., Kindergarten Ready Assessments or KRAs that measure …