Technical Assistance
DIR supplies technical support for developing effective processes and making informed decisions. We help organizations apply best practices and methods to guide their operations and enhance their expertise and resources. Our team consists of experienced trainers, conference planning specialists, and database developers. Our senior staff are skilled in assembling expert review panels.
Our analysts, statisticians, and data experts assist organizations in meeting their analysis requirements. We assist clients in performance audits, performance measurement calculations, and analysis of internal operations. We also train staff and organizations to increase their capacity to make data-based decisions. DIR spearheaded a team of auditors responsible for collecting and reporting program performance and evaluation data for 11 U.S. Department of Education grant programs for Program Performance Data Audits.
DIR customizes training and related material to meet our clients’ needs. We design and develop technical-assistance guides, manuals, handbooks, web-based modules, and other items.
We provide logistical support for national, regional, and local conferences, symposia, workshops, technical working groups, committee meetings, and focus-group sessions. We plan conferences, identify and notify conference attendees, provide logistical support for travel and accommodations, and document and report deliberations and proceedings.
DIR technology specialists design and program graphical user interfaces for databases in Microsoft Access. Depending on clients’ specifications, we produce data-collection output files in Microsoft Excel, SPSS, or SAS. We performed similar work to help the National Office of Job Corps (NOJC) meet requirements of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).
Our national database of researchers and subject matter experts identify and convene panels of highly skilled experts to provide external consultation or product reviews. In 2016, DIR conducted a series of content review panels to identify, develop, and evaluate instruments to measure skills in mathematics, reading, socioemotional development, and executive functioning.