Introducing the Measurement & Evaluation Collaborative at 4.0
The Next Phase of Right-Sizing Research
4.0 is taking its research capabilities to the next level and scaling up support for our fellows in a big way. We are excited to announce our first-ever, formal researcher-founder partnership — the Measurement & Evaluation (M&E) Collaborative.
This new team will increase access to the research tools our fellows can use to rigorously test their ideas. Our aim is to amplify the credibility and capacity of our fellows to improve education within their communities.
It is time to make rigorous measurement accessible for all people with big ideas to improve education.
The Collaborative is our commitment to breaking the mold of traditional research by empowering early-stage entrepreneurs with knowledge and tools they can use to rigorously test ideas at a level that is appropriate given their stage. We are excited to work with the top minds in research to create a human-centered approach that balances rigor and practicality.
What is it?
The M&E Collaborative is a network of researchers and alumni that will provide founders with access to a suite of support (curriculum, coaching, and peer review) to right-size their research.
By “right-size” we mean collecting the most rigorous data possible to evaluate the demand and efficacy of ideas given the early stage of the small tests you are running.
Essentials Fellows will have access to weekly office hours to ask questions about measurement and evaluation and Tiny Fellows will work side-by-side with accomplished researchers to develop measures to assess the efficacy of their proposed ideas. All fellows will engage with the Collaborative in peer review of their pilot plans. And, any 4.0 alumni are invited to monthly office hours to chat metrics.
A significant component of the Collaborative’s work will be to create open-source measures. We want to take your best thinking on what success looks like at an early stage in education, connect it to research, test it at your pilot, and then share it with the world so that others can use and iterate on your measures. By collaborating on and sharing new measures for success we are working toward a world where everyone with a bold idea can rigorously test an intervention in education and learn what does and doesn’t work.
Why did we start it?
Early-stage entrepreneurs constantly iterate on their ideas to address needs in their communities. By prototyping, testing, and reflecting they’re able to innovate and refine these ideas. Although they’re experimenting, these quick, smaller-scale tests are not typically recognized as research. Academia favors more traditional models that prioritize scaling up rather than down. There exists a gap — between academic research and real-world innovators. This is because the requirements of rigorous academic research are at odds with the responsive, small scale needs of innovators who are just getting started.
The M&E Collaborative balances these competing needs by providing early-stage entrepreneurs with the opportunity to partner with researchers. Our fellows offer a unique perspective on what success looks like for their ideas — we want to build on this with the specialized knowledge of researchers in order to support our fellows in crafting meaningful, relevant measures that are in service of evaluating the strengths and challenges of early-stage ideas to improve education.
Who is involved?
Our Researcher-in-Residence, Dr. Kirsten Lee Hill, will lead the Collaborative. She is an accomplished researcher out of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Education and was recently named co-director of the Bill and Melinda Gates-funded Research on Curricular Alignment Partnerships. You can read more about Dr. Hill’s work on her site. We are excited to have her on board to help lead this initiative.
In the coming months, we will select five researchers from across the country to join the collaborative as Visiting Scholars. These researchers will receive a stipend for working with Tiny Fellows, and we’ll cover their travel to New Orleans this December so they can see what we do in real life.
How can you get involved?
The M&E Collaborative is looking for 4.0 alumni to join us as Research Assistants. Alumni Research Assistants will work with the Researcher-in-Residence to implement a peer review process for pop-up and pilot plans. Additionally, research assistants will co-create 5 thematic reports summarizing trends from our portfolios and recent studies in the field (learn more and apply here).
Have questions? Reach out to our Researcher-in-Residence, Dr. Kirsten Lee Hill at kirsten@4p0.org.
