Useful Evaluation Helps You See What to Improve
Useful evaluation begins in the Middle, with implementation. While your vision and strategy are essential to your success, consistent implementation determines whether you’ll meet your goals.
Middle works with you to measure what matters most. We design data displays you can understand and act upon, but more importantly, we provide the data early enough for you to make necessary course corrections. This is what we call “useful evaluation.”
We offer a full suite of innovative and flexible methodologies and are experts in applying them creatively to match your specific needs. Using both quantitative (e.g., surveys, statistics) and qualitative (e.g., interviews, focus groups) methods, we develop:
Measurable indicators of the inputs, processes, and outcomes you value. We work with you to understand your theory of action and measure what matters most to achieving your goals.
Low-burden and rigorous data collection processes. Your team has work to accomplish and we don’t want our data collection to get in the way. Instead, we work with you to understand your team’s workflow and seek opportunities to build transparent data collection tools.
Insightful program and performance analyses and feedback in the areas essential to your organization’s success. Our reports are designed to help you see your system, the quality of your implementation, and where your attention and effort are most needed.
We implement a collaborative approach that positions us to serve as your trusted advisor, allowing you to achieve your goals and enabling you to broadcast your success.
Our clients include non-profit organizations, foundations, networks, educational institutions, government agencies, and for-profit organizations. We believe in developing strong and lasting relationships with our clients built on transparency, mutual respect, and collaboration.
Services
Independent Evaluation
We offer comprehensive, independent program evaluation. Often, our clients engage us to satisfy an accountability requirement and are delighted to discover the many ways good evaluation design can inform and improve the program.
Rigorous Research
Our staff has consulted on some of the largest randomized controlled experiments ever fielded within the education sciences. We are experienced at finding ways to increase the rigor and precision of the impact estimates without additional cost, burden, or concern.
Quality Assurance & Accountability
We can help you measure and monitor the consistency of your core practices. We develop implementation dashboards and data visualizations to help managers at all levels see inconsistencies and better allocate their time and resources.
Capacity-Building & Consultation
We consult on issues ranging from building internal research and evaluation capacity, use of assessments in schools, to staff development, to scaling up interventions.
Market Research, Customer Experience & Improvement Science
We help organizations better understand the needs and experiences of their customers and clients. We provide tools and processes for testing whether new products, services, or features are actually improvements.
Survey research
We use best-in-class survey methods and data collection techniques which enable you to know the precision of the estimates and the generalizability of the findings.
Our reports use clear visuals and plain English.
When you see your system clearly, you can better allocate your resources, time, and effort.
Our Philosophy
focus on real-time data
Our customized data dashboards have given dozens of our school district clients real-time visibility. They now see which schools are implementing as expected and which schools are struggling. This helps their managers direct their attention where it’s needed most.
Measure what matters most
We’re measurement experts. We don’t settle for what’s easy to measure; instead, we work with those closest to the program’s design to ensure we’re measuring the most important processes, the essential outcomes, and the leading indicators of success.
Early warnings beat post-mortems
An evaluation report shouldn't be a “gotcha”. Our evaluations are designed knowing that you’d rather course correct than be told later that you were off course. We dig deep into the program design to measure and report on early indicators of progress.
Keep the respondent burden low
Survey fatigue is real. Data collection shouldn’t distract staff from accomplishing their mission. We work hard to gather data in ways that don’t hurt. We examine the program’s workflow carefully to identify ways to get meaningful data without wasting time.
Our Team
Steve Cantrell
founder & principal
Fannie Tseng
LEAD QUANTITATIVE CONSULTANT
Vishnu Tirumala
LEAD SOFTWARE DEVELOPER
Katherine Wallace
LEAD QUALITATIVE CONSULTANT
“People who are bred, selected, and compensated to find complicated solutions do not have an incentive to implement simplified ones.”
Contact Us
Please use the form below to contact us and be as detailed as possible in your inquiry. We find it particularly helpful to know what you would like to learn and within what timeframe. You may also email or call us to make an appointment if you prefer.