Research & Evaluation Services
Why should Copia be your first choice for an external evaluation firm?
Copia Consulting LLC is what we describe as a “boutique evaluation firm”, which means that clients will receive high quality evaluation services and reports without having to navigate the labyrinths of a large and often university-affiliated research entity. Copia consists of three full-time evaluators, as well as a pool of highly skilled contractors that we pull from as needed. Copia’s founding partners, Angela Luck and Rachel Howell, have more than 13 years of experience conducting rigorous evaluations for a multitude of federal grantees, and Dr. Christina Steiner has more than ten years of experience, the majority of which was with the Rand Corporation while obtaining her Ph.D.
Our experience in the realm of project evaluation is extensive. Copia subcontracted for evaluation services with Stanford Research International (SRI) for more than 8 years on numerous state and federal grants:
The Texas High School Project
Charter School Program- Replication and Expansion
Race to the Top
Investing in Innovation (I3)
School Safety Grant
Copia then moved on to serving as the lead evaluation firm on a number of additional grants with several charter schools and non-profit organizations:
Education, Innovation and Research grant (EIR)
Charter School Program- Replication and Expansion (multiple)
21st Century (multiple)
GEAR UP
Carol E. White Physical Education Program (PEP)
Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP)
Additionally, we have conducted research projects for local initiatives in Austin, Texas and surrounding counties; for example, per the request of Casey Family Programs, Copia conducted a multi-method study of the Travis County Family Court’s Court Ordered Services Program.
What is the real difference between a “boutique evaluation firm” and a typical large-scale, university-affiliated research firm? First and foremost, you receive personalized services and deal directly with the owners of the company. This makes Copia agile and able to modify the evaluation plan in the face of ever-changing program dynamics – no bureaucracy to work through, no waiting as your request(s) move up the chain of management. This also means that our turnaround time for proposals, reports and requested changes is rapid cycle; you won’t forget what the project was before you receive the final report! And perhaps most importantly, depending on the lens through which you view evaluation services, Copia can be less expensive than the larger firms. We have much less overhead, i.e. no corporate offices to fund, no assistants on the payroll, which translates to much lower indirect cost fees.
Copia can fulfill all of your requirements for high-quality evaluation services with a potentially lower cost, less bureaucracy, and our deep understanding of the fields of education, social services, immigration services, youth justice programs and much more. If you’d like to know more, please browse our website or email Angela Luck directly at aluck@copiaconsulting.com.