Project Description
The SEED Foundation provides innovative educational opportunities that prepare underserved students for success in college and beyond. SEED currently operates two college-preparatory boarding schools—one in Washington, D.C., and one in Maryland—that serve students in grades 6 through 12. The SEED evaluation, funded by the federal Social Innovation Fund (SIF), explored the impact of the SEED model on academic and other outcomes for youths who attend a SEED school.
The SEED evaluation, conducted by MDRC, consisted of an impact analysis and an implementation study. The primary goal of the evaluation was to understand the effect of attending a SEED school on student achievement, student engagement (measured through students’ scores on state standardized seventh-, eighth-, and tenth-grade mathematics and English Language Arts exams), and students’ high school graduation. The evaluation also measured effects on college aspirations, attitudes toward college, risky behaviors, and key indicators of youth development.
DIR used a mixed-mode approach—combining Web, CATI, and field-initiated interviews—to collect student-level data.