Method
I ask three questions before a team opens any data.
- What matters most to know right now?
- What do we need to keep learning over time?
- Which data are requirement-driven rather than value-driven?
They are laid out in Before you open the data, a guide for a team planning meeting, and in the curve, which shows how the answers change as a program matures.
What I do
Open an offering to see what a partner receives, where to start, and the research behind it.
Learning-Centered Evaluation & Accountability DesignEvaluation and accountability systems that balance rigor with usability and are designed so the required reporting also answers the questions leaders actually have.
What a partner receives
- Evaluation plans and logic models
- Scoring rubrics and criteria frameworks
- Board-ready briefs and executive summaries
When teams call me
A state or funder requires reporting, and you want the same data to answer your own questions.
A free tool to start with
The research behind it
Solberg, Mosser, and McDonald found that accountability data “do not usually illuminate how the outcomes were achieved or how processes might be changed to improve them.” Patton puts the focus of utilization-focused evaluation “on intended use by intended users.”
Qualitative Analysis & Research-Based RecommendationsInterviews, focus groups, and open-ended surveys designed, conducted, and analyzed, with findings presented to leaders and recommendations grounded in cited research.
What a partner receives
- Interview protocols, survey instruments, focus group synthesis
- Board-ready briefs and executive summaries
When teams call me
You need to hear from teachers, principals, or families and turn what they say into recommendations leaders can act on.
A free tool to start with
The research behind it
Gillborn, Warmington, and Demack hold that “data cannot ‘speak for itself’ and critical analyses should be informed by the experiential knowledge of marginalized groups.” Chicago Beyond’s guidebook asks, “Whose voice is shaping the narrative and is the community fully represented?”
Gillborn, Warmington & Demack (2018) · Chicago Beyond (2018)
Instructional Materials Review & Adoption FidelityReviewing high-quality instructional materials against clear criteria, then studying how adopted materials are used in classrooms and whether the system can sustain them.
What a partner receives
- Scoring rubrics and criteria frameworks
- Program evaluation reports
When teams call me
You are choosing instructional materials, or teachers are not using the ones you adopted the way you planned.
A free tool to start with
The research behind it
Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research found “little evidence of differences in average math achievement growth in schools using different elementary math curricula.” Durlak and DuPre found mean effect sizes two to three times higher in programs that were implemented well.
Blazar, Kane et al., Learning by the Book (2019) · Durlak & DuPre (2008)
Applied Research StudiesStudies designed around a decision leaders face, from the research question to findings they can act on. Impact, cost, and descriptive studies, evidence reviews, and rapid studies for tight timelines, run directly, in partnership with the people doing the work, or as part of a larger firm engagement.
What a partner receives
- Applied research studies and evidence reviews
- Program evaluation reports
- Early warning indicators and predictive models
- Research-practice partnership design
When teams call me
A program has run for a year or two, and nobody can say whether it is working.
A free tool to start with
The research behind it
Patton puts the focus of utilization-focused evaluation “on intended use by intended users.” Fixsen and colleagues found that programs evaluated before they are fully running can look ineffective because they were measured too early.
Continuous Improvement Design & CoachingImprovement cycles aimed at the problems that move outcomes, with practical measures that show whether a change is working while there is still time to adjust. Coaching teams through their first cycles until they can run the next one on their own.
What a partner receives
- Practical measures and cycle plans
- Evaluation plans and logic models
- Data literacy PD and PLC sequences
When teams call me
Your team has improvement cycles or PLCs on the calendar and cannot yet tell whether they are changing instruction.
A free tool to start with
The research behind it
Bryk and colleagues hold that “we cannot improve at scale what we cannot measure.” Solberg and colleagues describe measurement for improvement, including baselines, as distinct from measurement for accountability. Reed and Card call for “a rigorous and tailored application” of improvement cycles.
Bryk, Gomez, Grunow & LeMahieu (2015) · Solberg, Mosser & McDonald (1997) · Reed & Card (2016)
Professional Learning & PLC DesignProfessional learning built for the adults in the room, on whatever a system needs its staff to know. PLC design and troubleshooting for teams that meet regularly and want the meetings to change instruction.
What a partner receives
- Data literacy PD and PLC sequences
When teams call me
Your team has improvement cycles or PLCs on the calendar and cannot yet tell whether they are changing instruction.
A free tool to start with
The research behind it
Darling-Hammond, Hyler, and Gardner reviewed 35 rigorous studies and found that effective professional development is content focused, involves active learning, supports collaboration, uses models of effective practice, provides coaching and expert support, offers feedback and reflection, and is sustained over time. In Vescio, Ross, and Adams’s review of PLC research, all eight studies that examined student achievement found that student learning improved, though the authors note that few studies move beyond self-reports.
Darling-Hammond, Hyler & Gardner (2017) · Vescio, Ross & Adams (2008)
Selected results
Rebuilt a district evaluation portfolio serving 100+ schools. Replaced an ad hoc selection process with a criteria-driven method that redirected review toward the district’s highest-cost, least-examined programs, leading a 15-person team.
First in the district to apply program evaluation methods to an operational department. Merged program evaluation and management consulting to extend the unit’s reach beyond academic programs, a first for the district and for its longtime evaluation partner.
Built early warning indicators for dropout prevention. Developed predictive analytics from longitudinal student data as a Strategic Data Project Fellow at Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research.
Moved practice and outcomes on a districtwide literacy initiative. More than 90% of principals reported stronger use of evidence-based literacy practices, and more than 65% of students improved in phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
Led literacy strategy across 20+ schools. Designed and facilitated multi-school professional learning cohorts strengthening reading outcomes from kindergarten through high school.
Amanda was the first to request a research-based evaluation of an operational department … the first I had ever witnessed from a program evaluation unit.
One of the most strategic, visionary, and dedicated individuals I have had the opportunity to partner with.
Credentials
- M.Ed. and B.A. in Elementary Education, University of Florida
- Strategic Data Project Fellow, Harvard University Center for Education Policy Research, 2022 to 2024
- Panelist before national education funders
Experience
Swerdlow Improvement Partners LLC
Fulton County Schools
Earlier at Fulton County Schools: Humanities Program Specialist, literacy strategy across 20+ schools. Previously: classroom teacher, DeKalb County Schools.
Who I have worked with
Fulton County Schools · Harvard University, Center for Education Policy Research · Georgia Policy Labs, Georgia State University · Gibson Consulting Group · DeKalb County Schools
I work with districts, state agencies, education nonprofits and foundations, consulting firms, and ed-tech organizations, including as a subcontractor.
Working with firms
Firms that hold the relationship with a district, state or funder can bring me onto the team as a supporting consultant. See how firms work with me.
Reach out when a decision is coming and you want a clear picture first.
Send a short note about the program or question and the decision you are facing.
I read every note myself and reply within the week.