about the project

WestEd's Evaluation Research Program is conducting a five-year evaluation of the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) funded by the California State University Chancellor's Office.

CAPP was developed as a response to continuing concerns about student achievement, particularly the achievement of students from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary educational institutions. The four CAPP projects, located in the communities of Mar Vista, Reedley, San Benito, and Hayward, include student support (e.g., counseling, peer assistance, tutors, summer programs), curriculum change, teacher development, parent involvement, and internship components.

The evaluation focuses on student, curriculum, teacher, and partnership outcomes, and is designed to accomplish multiple goals: (a) to assess the differential effects among the four partnerships, taking into account the different populations they serve and the different contexts in which they operate; (b) to take a bird's-eye view that supports efforts to improve the efforts of all partnerships by feeding back to them information about their successes; (c) to assess goals at the CAPP level to add value to assessing each partnership's success; and (d) to contribute knowledge to the field about effective and efficient approaches to supporting underrepresented groups' academic achievement and motivation for postsecondary education.