Leveraging Data to Drive Educational Impact

Logo: The Addy Found Center on Research and EvaluationA $3.5 million gift from The Addy Foundation to the SMU Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development will ensure the long-term success of the Center on Research and Evaluation, a vital community partner for education-related organizations across Dallas and Texas.

The Addy Foundation’s investment directs $3 million toward endowment of the center and an additional $500,000 in operational support until the endowment matures in five years. The center will now be known as The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation.

“This gift from The Addy Foundation benefits our entire community, driving meaningful, data-informed change throughout our region, improving the effectiveness of programs and services across our education system,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “The research done by the Addy Center will continue to both spark innovation and ensure best practices that will benefit our children.”

Newly named in its tenth year of operation at SMU, The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation conducts comprehensive evaluations that focus on improving programs and demonstrating impact. Its researchers and analysts provide actionable data to partners about how program implementation is proceeding, how well goals are being reached, and what changes could and should be made to improve outcomes. For example, the center collaborates with Big Thought, Dallas Afterschool and Dallas ISD to provide a shared system that streamlines and supports data collection and data usage for after school and summer school sites across the city of Dallas.

“We have long believed in the important work this center does, both for the organizations it supports and for the broader Dallas community,” said Ben Leal, president of The Addy Foundation. “This grant aligns with our mission because The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation will continue to support innovative and proven solutions that best serve those in need. The foundation is committed to working with like-minded partners such as SMU Simmons that lift, support and strengthen communities. Together, we will continue to drive positive change in North Texas and beyond.”

The gift supports SMU Ignited: Boldy Shaping Tomorrow, the University’s $1.5 billion campaign for impact.

“Donors like The Addy Foundation play a significant role in the impact SMU makes in communities across the country,” said Brad E. Cheves, SMU senior vice president for Development and External Affairs. “By combining operational and endowment support to academic centers, these donors fuel work that makes an immediate difference – and provide enduring support that will pay dividends for generations to come.”

Supported by William and Lydia Addy and based in Dallas, The Addy Foundation has previously worked with the SMU Center on Research and Evaluation, finding affinity with its education-focused mission. The center has a “cradle to career” focus, capturing and analyzing information from early childhood to the twelfth grade, and bridging support into college and career.

“We are deeply grateful to The Addy Foundation,” said Annie Wright, executive director of The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation at SMU. “In addition to broad-based support, this gift will also ensure the center’s capacity to provide low-cost assistance to nonprofit organizations and sustain our staff year-round, ultimately delivering more effective services that improve lives across the region.”

The work of The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation complements efforts throughout the SMU Simmons School of Education and Human Development to promote educational excellence through scientifically based research and to collaborate with other schools and institutions that further positive learning experiences in all stages of life.

“The Addy Foundation’s generous commitment marks a tremendous moment for SMU Simmons,” said Stephanie Knight, Leon Simmons Endowed Dean of the SMU Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. “This investment will allow us to expand vital, far-reaching work to make an even greater impact in education.”

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