Focus Group Facilitation for Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Shaffer Evaluation Group is providing focus group facilitation and analytical support to Virginia Beach City Public Schools in support of their strategic planning efforts. Dr. Shaffer and Ms. Wagner will facilitate 19 focus group discussions with various community stakeholders including school district staff, higher education faculty, students, recent graduates, parents, and members of the business community. The final report to the school district will highlight themes observed across all discussions, providing helpful information to the district leadership.

Kristi Wagner Joins Shaffer Evaluation Group

Ms. Wagner joins the Shaffer Evaluation Group team after 19 years of experience in public education, most recently as a school division science curriculum coordinator and Federal Title IIA Grant Coordinator, with considerable experience in project design, planning, and coordination across many content areas. As a science teacher, Kristi served as department chair and earned her National Board Certification in 2002. She was recognized in 2013 as Science Education Leader of the Year by the Virginia Association of Science Teachers. Her grant work and curriculum leadership also extends beyond K-12: she has served on two grant leadership teams related to high quality math and science teachers; has taught science education methodology as an adjunct instructor at the College of William & Mary; and currently is a Doctoral Candidate in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership at the College of William and Mary.

Ms. Wagner is currently supporting the evaluation of the York County School Division’s DODEA grant, conducting classroom observations, lesson plan reviews, and facilitating focus group discussions. During the coming months, she will extend her participation to other evaluation studies led by the Shaffer Evaluation Group.

Latest Projects

Shaffer Evaluation Group began work on two new evaluation studies this fall. Dr. Shaffer attended a kick-off meeting hosted by DODEA for a new Federal grant awarded to Virginia Beach City Public Schools for its Operation PRIDE initiative. This new initiative extends support for military-connected students into seven new schools. The College of William and Mary also invited the Shaffer Evaluation Group to evaluate its Phase 2 Noyce Scholarship and Stipend Program supported by the National Science Foundation.