What We Do

Childress Gibson Research & Consulting provides research, evaluation, and strategic data advisory services to organizations working in education, reentry, and community impact. We support mission-driven leaders in making evidence-informed decisions, assessing program impact, strengthening data practices, and aligning strategy with outcomes.

Our work is advisory, analytical, and design-focused — not day-to-day operational or system administration. We help clarify questions, identify the right methods, and produce research and evaluation products that inform strategy, funding, and improvement.

Data Governance & Research Strategy Advisory


We support senior leaders in clarifying research and data priorities, understanding existing data assets, and making evidence-informed decisions.

Typical areas of support include:

  • Clarifying research questions and organizational learning priorities

  • Assessing current data governance, access, and stewardship practices

  • Identifying gaps in data needed for decision-making or accountability

  • Designing organizational research agendas

  • Leadership-level consultations on findings, strategy, and interpretation

  • Reviewing proposed research, evaluation, or data initiatives

  • Advising on ethical, equitable, and community-centered use of data

Examples of deliverables:

  • Research agenda or learning agenda

  • Data governance assessment & recommendations

  • Leadership briefing (verbal or written)

  • Policy or decision-focused briefs

  • Roadmap for research/evaluation priorities

Typical engagement: 6–8 weeks

Data Use & Decision-Making Advisory


We design and conduct mixed-methods evaluations that help organizations assess program effectiveness, communicate impact, and strengthen funding and strategy decisions.

Typical areas of support include:

  • Program & policy evaluation

  • Outcomes & impact analysis

  • Theory of change & logic model development

  • Evidence syntheses to support funding proposals

  • Design of evaluation frameworks and measures

  • Equity-informed evaluation and population outcomes analysis

  • Evaluation of reentry, education, and community-based initiatives

Examples of deliverables:

  • Evaluation design & methodology

  • Logic model / theory of change

  • Outcome & impact reports

  • Grant- or funder-ready evaluation products

  • Mixed-methods stakeholder briefs

  • Recommendations for program improvement or scaling

  • Presentations for boards, funders, or leadership teams

Typical engagement: 3–4 weeks

Applied Research & Institutional Assessment


We conduct strategic research to help institutions understand their context, populations, and outcomes — without embedding into daily operations.

Typical areas of support include:

  • Institutional research (strategic questions only)

  • Landscape analyses & literature reviews

  • Stakeholder needs assessments

  • Policy analysis & synthesis

  • Environmental scans for reentry, workforce, or education sectors

  • Qualitative research with students, stakeholders, or impacted communities

Examples of deliverables:

  • Strategic research briefs

  • Needs assessment reports

  • Landscape or policy analyses

  • Interview/focus group synthesis reports

  • Recommendations for strategy, design, or investment

Scope

We do not provide routine technical support, system administration, software-specific end-user training, or full-time operational data functions.

We are not a vendor of SIS, CRM, or data systems; however, we frequently advise organizations on how to use their existing systems and data more effectively for decision-making, evaluation, funding, and strategy.

Implementation support, if needed, may be addressed through a separate engagement or referral.

Let’s Change the World Together

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