Since 2012, the NYC Department of Education's Expanded Success Initiative (ESI) has provided funding and professional development to 40 City high schools with the goal of helping them develop new strategies (or expand existing efforts) aimed at increasing college and career readiness for Black and Latino male students. As part of our larger evaluation of ESI, the Research Alliance is conducting in-depth case studies in five ESI schools, observing programs in action, and speaking with educators, school leaders, and students about the specific practices they have changed as part of ESI. Drawing on these sources, we have compiled a set of guides that provide concrete examples of how ESI schools are attempting to boost college readiness for young men of color. Each guide describes a specific approach and offers tips, discussion questions, and resources for educators who may want to pursue this strategy. This practice guides focuses on Early Exposure to and Preparation for College, a topic that principals, teachers, and guidance counselors across ESI schools identified as important for creating an environment that supports and welcomes young men of color.

• Helping students envision themselves in college;
• Supporting the college search and application processes;
• Providing access to college coursework and career training; and
• Increasing opportunities and supports in math.

Since 2012, the NYC Department of Education's Expanded Success Initiative (ESI) has provided funding and professional development to 40 City high schools with the goal of helping them develop new strategies (or expand existing efforts) aimed at increasing college and career readiness for Black and Latino male students. As part of our larger evaluation of ESI, the Research Alliance is conducting in-depth case studies in five ESI schools, observing programs in action, and speaking with educators, school leaders, and students about the specific practices they have changed as part of ESI. Drawing on these sources, we have compiled a set of guides that provide concrete examples of how ESI schools are attempting to boost college readiness for young men of color. Each guide describes a specific approach and offers tips, discussion questions, and resources for educators who may want to pursue this strategy. This guide focuses on Culturally Relevant Education, a topic that principals, teachers, and guidance counselors across ESI schools identified as important for creating an environment that supports and welcomes young men of color. CRE is a way of teaching that strives to empower students by incorporating their cultures, backgrounds, and experiences into the school environment and classroom activities. CRE also attempts to help schools address underlying biases educators may have about their students -- particularly Black and Latino males. The guide highlights practices three ESI schools use to bring CRE to life, including:

• Taking advantage of CRE professional development opportunities;
• Incorporating students' experiences and interests into curricula;
• Addressing teachers' mindsets and beliefs;
• Applying CRE in the classroom;
• Supporting English language learners and bilingual students; and
• Embracing diversity within and across cultures.

Since 2012, the NYC Department of Education's Expanded Success Initiative (ESI) has provided funding and professional development to 40 City high schools with the goal of helping them develop new strategies (or expand existing efforts) aimed at increasing college and career readiness for Black and Latino male students. As part of our larger evaluation of ESI, the Research Alliance is conducting in-depth case studies in five ESI schools, observing programs in action, and speaking with educators, school leaders, and students about the specific practices they have changed as part of ESI. Drawing on these sources, we have compiled a set of guides that provide concrete examples of how ESI schools are attempting to boost college readiness for young men of color. Each guide describes a specific approach and offers tips, discussion questions, and resources for educators who may want to pursue this strategy. This guide focuses on Culturally Relevant Education, a topic that principals, teachers, and guidance counselors across ESI schools identified as important for creating an environment that supports and welcomes young men of color. CRE is a way of teaching that strives to empower students by incorporating their cultures, backgrounds, and experiences into the school environment and classroom activities. CRE also attempts to help schools address underlying biases educators may have about their students -- particularly Black and Latino males. The guide highlights practices three ESI schools use to bring CRE to life, including:

• Taking advantage of CRE professional development opportunities;
• Incorporating students' experiences and interests into curricula;
• Addressing teachers' mindsets and beliefs;
• Applying CRE in the classroom;
• Supporting English language learners and bilingual students; and
• Embracing diversity within and across cultures.

Since 2012, the NYC Department of Education's Expanded Success Initiative (ESI) has provided funding and professional development to 40 City high schools with the goal of helping them develop new strategies (or expand existing efforts) aimed at increasing college and career readiness for Black and Latino male students. As part of our larger evaluation of ESI, the Research Alliance is conducting in-depth case studies in five ESI schools, observing programs in action, and speaking with educators, school leaders, and students about the specific practices they have changed as part of ESI. Drawing on these sources, we have compiled a set of guides that provide concrete examples of how ESI schools are attempting to boost college readiness for young men of color. Each guide describes a specific approach and offers tips, discussion questions, and resources for educators who may want to pursue this strategy. This guide focuses on Culturally Relevant Education, a topic that principals, teachers, and guidance counselors across ESI schools identified as important for creating an environment that supports and welcomes young men of color. CRE is a way of teaching that strives to empower students by incorporating their cultures, backgrounds, and experiences into the school environment and classroom activities. CRE also attempts to help schools address underlying biases educators may have about their students -- particularly Black and Latino males. The guide highlights practices three ESI schools use to bring CRE to life, including:

• Taking advantage of CRE professional development opportunities;
• Incorporating students' experiences and interests into curricula;
• Addressing teachers' mindsets and beliefs;
• Applying CRE in the classroom;
• Supporting English language learners and bilingual students; and
• Embracing diversity within and across cultures.

How do we know when an initiative is ready to pursue a rigorous evaluation? More and more funders, policymakers, and program leaders recognize the value of high-quality evidence. But to make good use of a program evaluation, initiatives must contend with a set of fundamental questions first. Some of these are about the initiative itself: What outcomes does it seek to affect? Are daily activities in line with long-term goals? Others are about the purpose of the evaluation: What do initiative stakeholders hope to learn? Who is the audience for evaluation findings? One way to answer these questions is to undertake an "evaluability assessment" -- a process designed to determine the current potential for a rigorous evaluation, and to provide recommendations for how an organization, or a group of partnering organizations, can prepare for a successful evaluation in the future. This report describes an evaluability assessment conducted by the Research Alliance for NYC Schools on behalf of the Teagle Foundation. The Foundation contracted the Research Alliance to explore the feasibility of a variety of approaches to evaluating its College-Community Connections (CCC) initiative, which funds partnerships between community-based organizations and universities, aimed at promoting college access and success among talented but underrepresented students in NYC.

How do we know when an initiative is ready to pursue a rigorous evaluation? More and more funders, policymakers, and program leaders recognize the value of high-quality evidence. But to make good use of a program evaluation, initiatives must contend with a set of fundamental questions first. Some of these are about the initiative itself: What outcomes does it seek to affect? Are daily activities in line with long-term goals? Others are about the purpose of the evaluation: What do initiative stakeholders hope to learn? Who is the audience for evaluation findings? One way to answer these questions is to undertake an "evaluability assessment" -- a process designed to determine the current potential for a rigorous evaluation, and to provide recommendations for how an organization, or a group of partnering organizations, can prepare for a successful evaluation in the future. This report describes an evaluability assessment conducted by the Research Alliance for NYC Schools on behalf of the Teagle Foundation. The Foundation contracted the Research Alliance to explore the feasibility of a variety of approaches to evaluating its College-Community Connections (CCC) initiative, which funds partnerships between community-based organizations and universities, aimed at promoting college access and success among talented but underrepresented students in NYC.

How do we know when an initiative is ready to pursue a rigorous evaluation? More and more funders, policymakers, and program leaders recognize the value of high-quality evidence. But to make good use of a program evaluation, initiatives must contend with a set of fundamental questions first. Some of these are about the initiative itself: What outcomes does it seek to affect? Are daily activities in line with long-term goals? Others are about the purpose of the evaluation: What do initiative stakeholders hope to learn? Who is the audience for evaluation findings? One way to answer these questions is to undertake an "evaluability assessment" -- a process designed to determine the current potential for a rigorous evaluation, and to provide recommendations for how an organization, or a group of partnering organizations, can prepare for a successful evaluation in the future. This report describes an evaluability assessment conducted by the Research Alliance for NYC Schools on behalf of the Teagle Foundation. The Foundation contracted the Research Alliance to explore the feasibility of a variety of approaches to evaluating its College-Community Connections (CCC) initiative, which funds partnerships between community-based organizations and universities, aimed at promoting college access and success among talented but underrepresented students in NYC.