"RISE Research & Evaluation is a highly-skilled, professional firm that thoroughly met A Step Beyond's needs as a research consultant while also being extremely personable and easy to work with."
-Jennifer Oliver, Artistic Director, A Step Beyond
“As a professional evaluation/research consultant, RISE is also able to connect with youth of all ages and help them feel safe and supported. Their in-depth interpretation of the data has inspired our staff and positively impacted our program design process.”
-John Gabriel, Director of Education, San Diego Opera
"Julie at RISE Research performed an interview with me to gauge my involvement and perceived successes as a part of the Art=Opportunity Leadership Team. Not only were her questions focused and open ended, her style and approach were inviting and inquisitive. I look forward to working with her again."
-Leah Goodwin, Art=Opportunity Leadership Team
“Julie at RISE Research is a remarkable, empathetic, and energetic evaluator of arts education effectiveness and value. She understands arts education process from multiple perspectives, both as practitioner and assessor. Ms. Kendig combines knowledge of the strongest current and historical assessment practices and tools, with an ability to see programs in their most comprehensive context. I highly recommend Ms. Kendig and her work.”
-John Highkin, Executive Director, Fern Street Community Arts
“What an absolute pleasure it is to work with Julie at RISE Research. Not only is she incredibly bright and data-driven, but her generosity of spirit makes every interaction a joyful experience. Before our work with her, our community engagement programs had never before been 'evaluated.' With the metrics she put in place, we are now in a position to create more impactful programming, with better and more sustainable funding.”
-Kate Hatmaker, Co-Founder, Artistic Director and Executive Director, Art of Élan
"I have had the pleasure of working with RISE Research as they brought the PEAR Holistic Student Assessment tool to our La Maestra Center for Youth Advancement. Their professional approach with conducting the assessment with our students was gentle while providing the support needed. They showed our staff graphs and insights that demonstrated the students' social & emotional strengths and challenges which helps us understand the students that we are working with."
-Norman Paraiso, Youth Program Director, La Maestra
“I had the good fortune of getting to know and working with RISE, which evaluated a juvenile arts program I manage for the Ventura County Arts Council. Their report combined strong analysis of the data they gathered looking at several California programs with in-depth research on the subject of system-engaged youth in the US. In writing their report, RISE united a strong command of clinical writing with an empathy for the subject they cover which gave the report an eminently readable and relatable quality. Julie’s talent in this area is immensely important for proponents of these programs as funding sources and support for them also come from circles outside the clinical sphere. I wholeheartedly recommend the work of this intelligent and compassionate professional who I saw work well with people in the field and put in long hours to accomplish the report on time and on budget.”
-Craig Rosen, Development Director, Ventura County Arts Council
"We hired Julie Kendig to help us develop a more accurate and effective evaluation of our Street Poets Poetry workshops in the probation camps and schools throughout LA. We were beyond enthusiastic about her support and efforts to help us reinvigorate and improve our evaluation methods. Not only is she well-versed in different methods of evaluation, but more importantly she is passionate and understanding about the work we are doing with the at-risk youth. We found this especially important as we know the great importance of evaluating our programs, but we also want to be sure to do so in the most thoughtful way with this vulnerable population. Julie went above and beyond her duties to connect with both our youth, administrative staff and teaching artists to make sure she accurately assessed our impact. She even went as far to help us measure an elusive skill such as "listening skills" which is paramount to our impact with this special population. Four years later, we are still employing elements of Julie's evaluation template to showcase how our program's impact. We recommend her highly to any organization that is looking to revamp their evaluation methods, as it's been a sincere pleasure to work with her."
-Michelle Sorgen Grants Director, Street Poets Inc.
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
from the people and organizations we've worked with
ADDITIONAL CLIENTS INCLUDE:
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ARTS (A Reason to Survive)
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Arts Alive, San Diego State University
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ArtReach
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Balboa Park Program
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California Arts Council
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Centers for Research on Creativity, University of California, Los Angeles
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Collaborations: Teachers and Artists
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Collaborative Arts Resources for Education
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David’s Harp Foundation
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National Partnership for Creative Youth Development
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Newcomer Parent Program, Kimbrough Elementary
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San Diego Creative Youth Development Network
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San Diego History Center
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SPARC Richmond