HEMS Work in Secondary Schools

Proposal-Writing and Evaluation Service

Our proposal-writing and evaluation service (under the grant programs listed below) is the primary secondary school reform service that HEMS currently extends to state departments of education and higher education, as well as school districts and institutions of higher education. Our five-step approach is to:

1. assess the secondary ed needs and diagnose the specific problems through quantitative gap analyses,
2. identify federal grant opportunities that match the development and reform needs and promise to help solve those problems,
3. collaboratively design programs and develop partnerships that can be funded under one or more external development grants,
4. help the partnerships to write the grant proposals, and
5. provide technical assistance in project management and program development, data integration, and evaluation services over the life of the grant(s).

Examples of Proposal-Writing and Evaluation Services Include:

• GEAR UP: HEMS provides data integration and evaluation services for state GEAR UP programs as well as for community partnerships. Our web-based student tracking and automated reporting system, the GEAR UP Online Evaluation system (GOES) and related data uploading services provides these grant projects a cost-effective database solution for accountability reporting and impact evaluations.
• Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology: Grant with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to strengthen and connect teacher preparation programs at four different universities (and their respective K-16 councils).
• Teacher Quality Enhancement: This statewide project with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and Department of Education was designed to improve the quality of PA’s teaching force.
• Transition to Teaching: Grant with the Kentucky Department of Education to recruit, train, and place talented and knowledgeable individuals in teaching positions and to support them during their first years in the classroom.
• Advanced Placement Incentive: HEMS currently is helping school districts in Pittsburgh (PA) and Passaic County (NJ) to develop grant proposals to develop or expand advanced placement programs in high schools with a high concentration of low-income students.
• Upward Bound and Talent Search (TRIO): HEMS has helped colleges and universities to write grant proposals for outreach-to-high-schools, transition-to-college services for disadvantaged students.
• IES research and model demonstration: HEMS developed a proposal to collaborate with the Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of "real-time data integration" problem solving as a pedagogical reform in secondary school math and science classes.
• NSF Teachers Professional Continuum: HEMS currently serves as evaluator of the Teachers Alternative Certification model demonstration grant with the Texas A & M University-North Harris Montgomery Community College-Houston School District partnership
• NSF Instructional Materials Development: The proposed project would develop five web-based modules for middle school science that engage students in student-directed inquiry and provide teachers with professional development in facilitating this inquiry.
• Hewlett Foundation DNA Lab: HEMS will be the external evaluator for a website that the DNA Learning Center (DNALC) in Long Island, NY is developing for students and teachers to learn about the relationship between genes and cognition