We uncover stories in data.
Evaluation Matters is a Los Angeles firm providing consulting services in research, program development, evaluation, behavioral science, and data science. Our clients include startups, nonprofits, educational institutions, government agencies, health plans, and NGOs.
Our focus is on social change and the difference that programs, products, and services make in the world.
Our approach
Formative & Summative
Our work typically begins at the start of projects. We engage with stakeholders to examine existing knowledge, lived experiences, assumptions, biases, and evidence.
We then design a theory of change and identify desired program goals, relevant indicators, comparison groups, baselines, and benchmarks. In formative evaluations, activities and solutions may need to be tweaked to maximize outcomes and impact.
Mixed Methods
We combine realist and quasi-experimental methods to explore what works, why, and for whom.
This allows us to constantly evolve our process in response to learnings and insights. We also engage in longitudinal analysis to measure how project effectiveness and social impact may change and evolve over time.
Social Impact Evaluation
Evaluation often ends with measurement of outputs. We go beyond by evaluating actual outcomes, change in the status quo, and social impact.
Measuring outcomes and impact brings a broader and long-term perspective and requires proof of causality, elimination of the counterfactual, and careful examination of opportunity costs, trade-offs, and spill over effects.
Data Science & Reporting
Evidence and data are central to our work. We use quantitative and qualitative measurement to understand context, causal mechanisms of change, and outcomes.
Our reports use data science and visualization to uncover insights, explore trends, craft stories, and communicate program impact across all stakeholders. We also use an equity-informed and culturally responsive lens to highlight disparities in outcomes.
Our impact
9 counties
Evaluated the Power of Preschool (PoP) program, a voluntary prekindergarten program, to examine best practices and innovative approaches, and to improve the school readiness of 3- and 4-year-olds, based on data from program participants in nine counties across California.
500,000 patients
Developed and evaluated a storytelling framework combining text and visuals, which reached over 500k health plan members during the pandemic and allowed them to quickly and easily check symptoms online using an e-visit interface and get follow-up advice from a clinician.
8 schools
Evaluated the introduction of technology in middle school classrooms and its impact on teaching practice, learning performance, and overall engagement levels in the classroom.
>10 million
Identified the role of social determinants of health (SDOH) in health access and outcomes and designed and evaluated an SDOH index (based on census tract level data) which was used to tailor outreach to over 10 million individuals and to understand how differences in patient characteristics and demographics might influence health behaviors.
About us
Our founder and principal, Rena Brar Prayaga, has over 20 years of
program design, research, and evaluation experience in law,
education, and healthcare. She is committed to helping organizations
use behavioral science, data, and tech to evaluate impact and
quantify social good.
Rena has a JD from USC Gould School of Law, an MA in Experimental Psychology from UC San Diego, and a BA in International Relations from Pomona College. She is currently completing an Executive MSc in Social Business & Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Some clients we've worked with
Let's talk!
Get the ball rolling today by reaching out to us.