You’ve won the grant — now get the evaluator who understands your world.

External Evaluation for NSF ATE, S-STEM and Other STEM/CTE Education Grants

Our evaluations are explicitly aligned with NSF program solicitations and grounded in a logic-model–based Evaluation Plan Matrix and mixed quantitative and qualitative methods. This approach supports clear documentation of student outcomes, workforce-related pathways, and institutional change, and provides the evidence needed for strong NSF-aligned annual and final reports.

Our approach is improvement-focused, supporting projects in using evaluation findings to reflect, adjust, and strengthen implementation. We specialize in evaluating and documenting student outcomes—including persistence, completion, and post-program pathways such as internships, employment, or graduate study—where applicable to the grant.

We collaborate closely with PIs, project staff, and key stakeholders—to clarify expectations, translate evaluation concepts into plain language, and maintain an Annual Evaluation Plan Matrix that keeps data collection, analysis, and reporting aligned throughout the grant period.

A typical engagement includes quarterly virtual check-ins with the project team, focused on review and discussion of evaluation findings as data are collected. Findings may be presented through dashboards, survey results, or other data collection instruments, depending on the project and stage of the grant, followed by a comprehensive annual evaluation report aligned with NSF reporting timelines.

We specialize in evaluations that deliver clarity, credibility, and continuous improvement

✅ Peace of Mind: We handle evaluation — so you can focus on your program

✅ Effective Use of Data: Dashboards that tell your story clearly for internal decision-making and external stakeholders

✅ Strategic Insights: Real-time data-driven feedback to make course corrections to help you improve while the project is live.

✅ Credibility: Show stakeholders and funders measurable impact

✅ Polished, Timely Reports: Ready for NSF deadlines and final reports

The wrong evaluator could cost you

Federal grants require more than just checking a box. An ineffective evaluator can:

❌ Deliver reports that don’t meet funder requirements (NSF, Dept of Ed, etc.)

❌ Require time-consuming onboarding since they are unfamiliar with CTE/STEM, 2-year colleges, or guided pathways

❌ Provide no actionable feedback that helps you improve - just generic insights

❌ Undermine your project's reputation and renewal prospects

You won’t have to bring us up to speed

We know what it takes to design, track, and report evaluation data that meets funder expectations and improves your outcomes.

Ms. Smith ensures the evaluation adds significant value—not just by assessing progress, but by providing skilled, objective observations that often reveal where a project is exceeding expectations. One of her most important contributions is using evaluation data to help leadership make strategic decisions that enhance results.

 — Dr. Michael Lesiecki, Executive Director (ret.) The Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center (MATEC), AZ

The Job Placement Data Dashboard makes it easy to prioritize student job placement. We can instantly see which students are ready for internships or jobs and move them to the top of our placement efforts. Real-time visibility has helped us place more students before graduation.

 — Kevin Bradley, Work-Based Learning Coordinator, Transportation Technologies, Community College of Philadelphia

Answers to Your Questions

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We align evaluation methods to your specific outcomes.

Stay on track with our expert evaluation support.

Lara Smith holds a Master of Science in Measurement and Evaluation from American University and has served as an external evaluator on NSF- and U.S. Department of Education–funded grants. Her work integrates qualitative and quantitative methods, logic models, stakeholder feedback, and data dashboards to support rigorous, improvement-focused evaluation and clear documentation of outcomes.

Since 2009, she has served as a peer reviewer for NSF programs, including ATE, HSI, and S-STEM, and in 2018 was named an inaugural member of the NSF College of Reviewers for Undergraduate Education.

Donna Milgram is a five-time NSF Principal Investigator with decades of experience leading STEM education and workforce-focused initiatives, including a project featured by NSF and AAUW for exemplary results. She brings a PI’s perspective to evaluation design and NSF-aligned reporting and has developed and overseen extensive data dashboard systems to track student outcomes and workforce pathways across federally funded projects. Her work emphasizes improvement-focused evaluation and clear documentation of outcomes and impact.

At IEX, we make evaluation simple, strategic, and stress-free. With decades of experience in workforce and grant-funded education, we’ll help you meet funder expectations, improve outcomes, and get the recognition your project deserves.

© Higher Ed: Impact & Evaluation Experts (IEX) 2025