What is Utilization-Focused Evaluation?
Welcome to Insights & Opportunities: A Hub for Informal STEM Education! Insights & Opportunities is a twice-monthly newsletter for educators, administrators, legislators, and advocates who recognize the importance of informal STEM learning.
This newsletter is brought to you by me, Sarah Dunifon, and my team at Improved Insights. I’m a long-time STEM educator, researcher, and equity advocate. Along with my team, I now work on cutting-edge informal STEM learning research and evaluation.
Each edition of this newsletter offers exciting insights, resources, and opportunities for informal STEM learning professionals, including funding, jobs, professional development, informal STEM learning research, evaluation tips and resources, and so much more! We hope you find it valuable. Now, let’s get started.
What is Utilization-Focused Evaluation?
In this edition of Insights & Opportunities, Dr. Sarah Dunifon examines utilization-focused evaluation and how it influences our practice at Improved Insights. To read the full article, check it out in our Insights. In the meantime, here’s a taste:
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Utilization-focused evaluation considers that evaluation work should have practical applications and should be developed in a way that encourages the use of its findings and/or the process itself to inform decisions and improve programs (BetterEvaluation, 2021). Developed by Michael Quinn Patton, a leader in the field of evaluation, key points of utilization-focused evaluation include:
Building an understanding of how the evaluation findings will be used at the beginning of the project
Identify who will be the users of the evaluation/its findings, at the beginning of the project
Develop buy-in with the project team to encourage the use of the findings
Ensuring decisions made along the evaluation align with the intended uses
A similar element to participatory evaluation (which we detailed in an earlier post) is that utilization-focused evaluation also seeks to engage various users in its development and implementation, as well as in the interpretation of findings and decisions made based on the findings. Core to both approaches is that we want the evaluation to be used. Too often, evaluations serve as point-in-time reflections of programs, but are not used to improve programs or inform decisions. This is where you hear the trope of the evaluation report “just sitting on the bookshelf” (or nowadays, perhaps, sitting in the Google Drive). The process of evaluation serves as a tool for continuous learning. Applying those learnings is essential to making sure the whole thing was worthwhile.
To read the full article, check it out in our Insights.
60-Second Suggestions
Here are a few of our favorite things this month, usually pertaining to informal STEM education and evaluation, but occasionally some fun personal stuff, too.
The Overdeck Family Foundation has published its predictions for U.S. education since 2023. This year, Overdeck’s predictions include that out-of-school time programs will need to pursue new and creative strategies to secure funding. This, along with other critical insights into the landscape of education in the U.S., is informative about what lies ahead for educators of all backgrounds in the coming year.
This article from The Conversation explores how identity and culture are not only critical to science communication but can be transformative in building connections between scientists and the broader community. It makes a case that incorporating cultural identities, particularly those from traditionally marginalized backgrounds, helps participants identify their place in STEM spaces and fosters trust among community members.
Opportunities
Check out these new opportunities for the informal STEM learning community.
Funding:
2026 Grant Cycle, Impact100 Cleveland, $100,000. Nonprofits in the greater Cleveland area who are contributing to their communities through the focus areas of Education, Arts & Culture, Environmental Preservation & Recreation, Family, and Health & Wellness are invited to apply for funding. One applicant in each focus area will be selected. Expression of Interest is due on February 27, 2026.
Aim High Grant Program, Afterschool Alliance and New York Life Foundation, $20,000. Out-of-school time nonprofit programs serving middle school youth from families with low incomes are invited to apply for grants. Grants will be awarded to organizations that support the ability of community-based afterschool and summer learning programs to provide the foundational skills and guidance that middle school students need to be prepared for the critical transition into high school. Applications are due February 6, 2026.
Community Progress Fund, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, $20,000-$30,000. Nonprofits in North Carolina’s 78 rural counties who are currently working to improve their communities are invited to apply for funding. Grants are meant to help groups build on existing momentum to take their work to the next level. Applications are due February 2, 2026.
Frank Hadley Ginn & Cornelia Root Ginn Foundation, Cleveland Foundation, $5,000/$15,000. Grant proposals from organizations in the Cuyahoga County area are now open for efforts focused on education, including programs that promote academic success, social-emotional growth in students to help them excel in school, and in-school and after-school programs that supplement academic learning. Applications must be submitted by March 1, 2026.
STEM Action Grants, Society for Science, $5,000. Nonprofit organizations using creative solutions to enhance the public’s understanding of science and increase participation of underrepresented populations in STEM fields are invited to apply for funding. Applications are due February 15, 2026.
Jobs and Fellowships:
Associate Curator of Education and Outreach, National Museum of Wildlife Art (Jackson, WY), $60,000. The Associate Curator of Education and Outreach will be responsible for the creation, implementation, & evaluation of educational programs for youth and adults. They will develop and direct learning programs, strengthen relationships with area teachers and school administrators, assist with grant writing and reporting, and perform other relevant duties.
Associate Director, Chewonki Center for Environmental Education (CEE) (Wiscasset, ME), $58,000. The Associate Director of CEE will manage onsite day and overnight programs, provide leadership and field support to environmental educators and trip leaders, and, during the summer, collaborate with Camp Chewonki to support backcountry travel and outdoor living skills instruction. They will lead staff training, develop curriculum, and collaborate with partner schools to align CEE programming with school curricula.
Conservation Education Coordinator, Santa Fe College (SF) Teaching Zoo (Gainesville, FL), $60,000. The Conservation Education Coordinator will assist visitors at the SF Teaching Zoo with specific responsibilities for conservation and public education. They will design, evaluate, and enhance conservation education and interpretive programming, including developing educational and instructional materials. Applications are due by February 27, 2026.
Director of Development, ELSO (Portland, OR), $95,000. The Director of Development will advance ELSO’s fundraising strategy and collaborate with executive leadership to achieve annual and long-term fundraising and development goals. Additionally, they will manage a diverse portfolio of donors and prospects, develop and steward corporate partnerships, and provide leadership for ELSO’s Portland-based team.
Great Lakes Education Intern, Inland Seas Education Association (Suttons Bay, MI), $500/week stipend. The Great Lakes Education Internship will take place April 27-August 14, 2026. During May and June, the Intern will help conduct education programs for schools, and help with public education programs in July and August. Programs include hands-on activities that explore water quality, food web dynamics, and other Great Lakes topics. Applications are due February 15, 2026.
Professional Development:
2026 AAAS Annual Meeting, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), February 12-14, 2026 (Phoenix, AZ). The 2026 American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) Annual Meeting will celebrate discovery, probe evidence-based policy innovation, and embrace the challenge of implementing science and policy at scale for the benefit of society. The conference will be held in Phoenix, AZ, on February 12-14, 2026.
AZA 2026 Mid-Year Meeting, Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), March 21-26, 2026 (Atlanta, GA). The Association of Zoos & Aquariums will host their mid-year meeting in Atlanta, GA, from March 21-26, 2026. During the meeting, zoo and aquarium professionals will learn and discuss issues critical to institutions through peer-developed program meetings, roundtables, and interactive workshops. Early-bird registration closes on February 20, 2026.
Science Talk ‘26, Association of Science Communicators, March 26-27, 2026 (Portland, OR). The Association of Science Communicators’ annual conference will take place on March 26-27, 2026, in Portland, OR. The 2026 conference will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Science Talk through sessions and workshops for science communicators. Early-bird rates are available through January 31, 2026.
STEM Learning Journeys, Verizon and STEM Next (virtual). In partnership with Verizon, STEM Next has launched a new set of online Learning Journeys to help afterschool educators more easily implement relevant, high-quality STEM learning in their programs. Lessons are designed to help educators engage young people in hands-on, meaningful STEM learning without extensive preparation or prior STEM expertise. Participants who complete the Learning Journey may be eligible for a stipend of up to $1,500.
Webinar: Data Equity Primer, We All Count, February 12, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET (virtual). Join We All Count for the Data Equity Primer, a one-hour introduction reviewing core issues facing the equitable and ethical use of data. A 30-minute Q&A will follow the session, and participants will take home a summary document with key concepts and talking points. The session is on February 12 at 3:00 PM ET and on March 31 at 12:00 PM ET.
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