Why serve as a LEEAD practicum site?

Support the Evaluation Pathway

The practicum experience strengthens connections between the funders and producers of evaluation and its intended beneficiaries while advancing inclusion in the fields of philanthropy and evaluation toward equity. The practicum experience benefits Scholars as well as Practicum Sites.

The majority of past Scholars reported that the practicum provided opportunities to incorporate CREE concepts and were aligned with their career goals. In addition to the evaluation skills and methodological and substantive expertise that Scholars bring to their Practicum teams, hosting firms have benefited from Scholars’ focus on CREE.

In the most recent cohort, Practicum Sites stated that they appreciated the new perspective that LEEAD Scholars offered and that the experience was an opportunity to collaborate. Of the Practicum Sites surveyed, the majority indicated that Scholars added to their ability to incorporate CREE into their projects.

Beyond the specific evaluation projects, the majority of recent Practicum Sites stated that they value the importance of using a CREE approach and intend to apply it to other project work. In most recent cohorts, the majority of Scholars and Practicum Sites expressed their intention to continue their working relationships after the LEEAD Program.

Practicum Project Structure

The Practicum experience is expected to be executed virtually over a six-to-eight month timeline. The Practicum provides Scholars with contract evaluation experience and an opportunity to apply what they have learned from the other components of the LEEAD Program. Practicum Sites contracts with LEEAD Scholars to complete one or more discrete components of an evaluation project (e.g., Collaborating to design evaluation, logic model/theory of change development, measure development, data collection and analysis, and report writing). See examples of Practicum Projects from the last cohort!

When possible, Practicum Sites are encouraged to contract with more than one Scholar to maximize peer learning and support. While it is not necessary for Scholars to be working on the same project, in the same department, or under the same supervisor, such opportunities may contribute to a stronger cohort experience among Scholars.

You’ll Participate in These Ways:

• Supporting both the Scholars and the Practicum Sites; contribution amounts will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis
• Attending a webinar-orientation detailing the LEEAD Practicum experience
• Developing project descriptions and scope of work for Scholars to apply for, based on an existing or new evaluation project
• Interviewing Scholars from the pool of applications received through the practicum matching process
• Contracting directly with a LEEAD Scholar or multiple Scholars, for a minimum of 60-80 hours over the course of the practicum experience
• Providing Scholars with a competitive hourly salary commensurate with senior researcher level contractors
• Engaging Scholars as thought-partners to strengthen the CREE approach to the Practicum Project
• Having project supervisors act in a coaching capacity; managing the Scholar in the same manner they would manage their staff and be expected to virtually check in with Scholars weekly during the practicum experience
• Participating in regular check-ins with the ETB team to provide feedback on Scholar performance
• Completing evaluation surveys to provide feedback on the LEEAD model and experience