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Designing An Evaluation Plan For Hopewell City Public Schools Balanced Calendar, Joy Sheets Blosser, Ellen Elizabeth Burnett, Jeffrey Andrew Elmore, Michael Thomas Smith, Margot Marie Zahner

Doctor of Education Capstones

Hopewell City Public Schools (HCPS) began the 2021-2022 academic year with an innovative year-round balanced calendar that redistributes the 180 days of instruction and adds six enrichment weeks to increase student engagement, achievement and well-being. The purpose of this capstone project was to support the school system’s need for evaluation to ensure continual improvement and sustainable success.

Using improvement science concepts and tools, the team developed a theory of change and comprehensive evaluation plan of this balanced calendar initiative. The scope of work addressed three primary questions:

1. What are the essential components of a quality comprehensive evaluation plan for the …

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Sustaining A Balanced Calendar In Hopewell City Public Schools, Elizabeth Baber, Brandon S. Petrosky, Taylor M. Snow, Cleveland Walton Iii

Doctor of Education Capstones

As the first school division in Virginia to implement a division-wide year-round school calendar, Hopewell City Public schools requested assistance in evaluating the impact of their work. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic the division paused implementation, shifting the focus of the study from evaluation to providing recommendations for structural, philosophical, and fiscal changes to the year round calendar initiative and its associated communication plan that would positively impact the long term sustainability of the initiative. The study employed a mixed methods approach including survey and focus group data along with an extensive literature review, and internal document and analysis. …