CRP, Inc. - Research and Evaluation

Corporate Services

Research and Evaluation

CRP specializes in applying theoretically-grounded, methodologically rigorous research to the identification, assessment, and analysis of research questions, policy issues, program needs, interventions, and other phenomena. CRP has earned a reputation for quality, credibility, and objectivity in assessing alternative policy options, bringing research to bear on major policy questions, and providing comprehensive statistical analysis of primary and secondary data sources. CRP research scientists apply requisite skills and capabilities in defining policy problems or conditions, elucidating theoretical constructs, evaluating program initiatives and their impacts, or studying the intended and unintended consequences of policy instruments or tools. CRP uses a wide variety of web-based search engines, directories, databases, and other information sources to conduct reviews of literature. CRP also builds and maintains readily accessible and fully documented research databases, while preparing comprehensive research reports of the study background, methods, findings, interpretations, and conclusions in publishable forms.

CRP offers multidisciplinary expertise and capabilities in executing social science research (quantitative and qualitative) for diverse sponsors, such as government agencies, colleges and universities, commercial organizations, associations, and foundations. CRP's capabilities utilizing quantitative approaches include survey research methods, meta-analysis, experimental research/design, quasi-experimental research/design, and web surveys. CRP offers a wide range of qualitative capabilities, including case studies, content analysis, ethnographic studies/research, focus group research, key informant (in-person and telephone) interviews, and participant observation. While neither quantitative or qualitative methods should be viewed as exclusive, CRP also offers services in methodological triangulation, which provides a stronger research design, resulting in more valid and reliable findings.

CRP designs and manages large-and small-scale projects in scope encompassing both survey research and program evaluation/evaluation research methodologies, which enable us to meet any data collection requirement.

Survey Research. CRP's survey methodologists, statisticians, data analysts, and programmers have expertise in all phases of the survey research process, from survey and sample design, hypotheses construction, and questionnaire development to data processing, analysis, and report writing. Staff is adept in multivariate analysis and in conducting ANOVA tests and regressions when looking at more complex relationships between variables. Other techniques used in the analysis of data include descriptive statistics, factor analysis, measures of central tendency and dispersion, statistical inference, and measures of association.

Evaluation Research. CRP executes culturally-relevant, context-sensitive, and methodologically-sound evaluation methods in collaboration with stakeholders to support decision-making, accountability, and program or policy planning priorities. CRP has expertise in designing all types of evaluation studies, including formative, process and outcome evaluations, using an array of evaluation design methods. The evaluation designs CRP uses most frequently include one group posttest only design, one group pretest/posttest design, nonequivalent comparison group (quasi-experimental) design, and experimental design.

Samples of Work

District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) HIV/AIDS Education Extensive Study. This project, which used a goal-attainment model, featured formative and summative evaluation components to assess five major areas spanning grades 4-12: (1) school HIV/AIDS policies; (2) teacher training; (3) curriculum implementation; (4) student knowledge, attitudes, and behavior (KAB); and (5) family involvement and community linkages.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Research Monograph: Cultural Competence for Providing Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Training for HIV Prevention Programs–A Research Synthesis. This CRP-prepared CDC research monograph was hailed as a significant contribution to the literature on behavioral and social science research on HIV/AIDS prevention planning and on culturally specific HIV/AIDS programmatic applications targeting racial and ethnic populations. It included an exhaustive review of over 400 articles on existing HIV/AIDS prevention programs nationwide.