Research

Zora Neale Hurston once famously wrote “Research is formalized curiosity.” At Heartwise Learning, we are intensely curious about our clients, their communities, and the students they serve. 

Our research and evaluation work spans the fields of education, community development, and mental health and well-being--with a consistent focus on how people, programs, and systems can act with more compassion to support young people and the adults who care for them. We have worked with school districts, public health clinics, health and human service departments, municipal agencies, community-based organizations, and family advocacy groups.

Our research will help you articulate or refine your existing theory of action--that is, your mental model of how you think your program works, why, and what outcomes you hope to see--and provide you with concrete, systematic data to illuminate how you are doing in relation to your intended goals.  We always work with you to identify the intended audiences (funders, internal stakeholders, etc.) for the evaluation, so we can build in time and budget for the products that most serve your needs. We love producing usable content that tells your story for the audiences you want to reach!

See examples of our team's research knowledge and expertise, below.

OUSD Community Schools

Dr. Fehrer led an eight-year research partnership during the first years of the district's community schools initiative allowed OUSD staff to codify their emerging community schools strategy and strategically scale up implementation. A later study surveying teachers to better understand their use of community school resources allowed the district to report to federal and state funders on the initiative's widespread impact in the classroom. The evaluation work eventually became part of a book that showcases this district's unique approach to systemic community school development.

Teen Mental Health Study

Schools increasingly are investing in an array of whole-child supports, meant to bolster student health, behavioral-health, and social-emotional well-being.  School and district staff often struggle to measure the reach and effectiveness of these important investments. Our research approach engages a variety of stakeholders in the school setting, and utilizes mixed research methods tailored to your goals to help you understand and improve your school's culture and climate.

Family Engagement Multi-Tiered System of Support

Family-school partnerships are critical ingredients of student success, especially for students of diverse, multi-linguistic, and economically marginalized backgrounds. Yet without intentional planning and ongoing feedback, family engagement efforts risk becoming "random acts of engagement." Our research in family engagement engages school staff, families, and at times students, to better understand all stakeholders' needs, goals, perceptions, and current activities.  Our research aims to build bridges, facilitate dialogue, and to catalyze meaningful conversation between school staff and families: the most important adults in students lives.