Principal Investigator: David Currey, Ph.D.
PIRE is implementing a comprehensive process and outcome evaluation of the South Carolina Project AWARE grant to help all partners benefit from the project, both as it is implemented and as lessons learned are used to inform future initiatives and sustain project successes. The purpose of the SC AWARE project is to build the state’s capacity to increase awareness of school mental health services statewide, to provide a multi-tiered system of supports to address mental and behavioral issues within the partnering school districts and their communities, and to provide training to help the three funded LEAs respond appropriately to students, families, and caregivers.
Our evaluation involves ongoing monitoring of progress to meet the nine measurable objectives specified for this project, and assessment of whether changes occur over time in the three LEAs concerning student and school environment outcome indicators. PIRE is responsible for working with the SC Department of Education and its state and local partners to ensure that the evaluation process meets the federal, state and local needs in a culturally appropriate, effective, and efficient manner. This includes creating data collection instruments, designing and implementing data collection protocols, and analyzing and reporting on data associated with the goals of the project.