Final Exam Task, Detailed Instructions

You have been hired to be the Director of Research and Analytics for CollegeBound-Illinois (CBI), a (fictitious) nonprofit organization that runs a large youth mentor program. CBI has been collecting data on students for several years as part of a grant, but until now has not had anyone on staff with the skill set to make sense of it. (This happens more than you might think!) As with any major nonprofit organization, there are many stakeholders involved and lots of ideas about the management and programs at CBI. The board and executive director approved your hire so you could analyze it to inform some of their most pressing decisions.

The Organization: CollegeBound-Illinois

The CBI mission statement is: to improve the personal, social, and academic lives of youth by creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships with positive college student role models.

CBI recruits youth statewide. Interested students can sign up for the program at the end of their 8 ^th grade year. Once a child enrolls, he or she is matched with a college freshman. They meet monthly for the duration of the child’s high school years. The students and their mentors discuss college and career plans, academic challenges, and plan summer activities. CBI provides training for the mentors, monitors students’ progress, and plans some programming (back to school parties, outings, and test prep sessions).

The Data

Five years ago, CBI received a large grant to collect data from a random sample of Illinois youth. ¹ Through a contractor, CBI selected a random sample of 1000 8 ^th graders. These children’s parents and teachers were surveyed at the end of their 8 ^th grade year (immediately before some students began the mentoring program). Some of these 8 ^th graders then signed up for and participated in CBI programming; many others did not. Five years later, the students’ high school records were collected. The variables and their sources are listed in the codebook below.

The Task

CBI is at a crossroads. Although historically the organization has been focused on getting kids to go to college (postsecondary school), over time, the program has evolved to do many things for the kids it serves. Last year, the board of directors and executive leadership team set five benchmarks for success:

1. Coverage : CBI will serve more than 5 percent of the population of Illinois 8 ^th graders.
2. Equity : CBI will serve a diverse population, in terms of race, gender, and family income.
3. Academic Performance: Participating in CBI will improve math and reading performance.
4. High School Graduation: Participating in CBI will help kids graduate from high school.
5. College Bound : Participating in CBI will get kids to go to college.

Focusing on all five goals has left the organizational resources and staff stretched thin. Some board members also feel like CBI is struggling to present itself in development campaigns because the many goals make it hard to communicate a single message to potential donors.

Price: $30.45

Solution: The downloadable solution consists of 16 pages, 1445 words and 2 charts.
Deliverable: Word Document