STRIVE is committed to building evidence on our programs to improve our graduates' outcomes, and to supply lessons for the field. In 2020, we embarked on a journey to enhance evidence-building with MDRC, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Our partnership consisted of multiple components, including a paper on lessons learned while operating in New York during 2020's pandemic.
MDRC created an online publication of their analysis of STRIVE - Pivoting and Planning: STRIVE’s Pandemic Progress. This report mentioned that “the pandemic heightened flexibility and responsiveness with the entire STRIVE community, as the agency celebrated client successes and continually adjusted its strategies in New York”. STRIVE was one of the first organizations to take training classes online at the beginning of the pandemic. At STRIVE, we are continually adjusting our strategies to improve our programs’ efficiency to work for our students. To see the full report, click HERE.
Moreover, in 2020, STRIVE and MDRC evaluated the Career Path program in STRIVE New York, led by the Center for Applied Behavioral Science (CABS) at MDRC. CABS helped STRIVE better identify, clarify, and diagnose opportunities for enhancement in retention and alumni services. Much of that data informed changes made during the pandemic and our future plans as we look to blended virtual and in-person learning models in 2021.
MDRC and STRIVE successfully developed an evaluation roadmap to strengthen evidence-building based on the collected data. STRIVE will be looking for funding opportunities as we continually test, evaluate, and develop high-quality programs.
