CLEAR is an evaluation and research group established in 1998 by partners, Becky Swanson Kroll, Ph.D. and Juan Jackson. Both of these individuals have extensive experience in doing evaluation, needs assessment and other kinds of social action research in child welfare, public health, education and human services. They are particularly skilled in working with grass roots, community-based initiatives and with small emerging groups - using a capacity building framework.

Much of CLEAR's work has been in and with communities of color. They develop and regularly use strategies to work with hard to reach populations, to conduct surveys or face to face interviews using innovative techniques and respectful, appropriate means for work with people who have language and cultural differences, lower levels of formal literacy, or disabilities.

In February, 2004, Juan Jackson took a leave from CLEAR to complete a novel. The work is continued at this point by Becky Kroll, Ph.D. as the sole proprietor of CLEAR: Calabash Learning Evaluation And Research, L.L.C.

The services CLEAR offers can include:

• Community (Needs) Assessment: Design and implementation of strategies to gather information from specific communities. Similar to needs assessment, but not limited to defining needs and avoiding methods which define people solely by "deficiencies." Our community-focused assessments identify barriers, services which make a difference, and individual and community strengths and capacities.
• Formative Evaluations: Work with new initiatives to identify appropriate initial and intermediate goals and intended outcomes, sources of information to indicate impact and creative strategies to gather information from a wide range of stakeholders to inform and improve initial efforts.
• Consumer Surveys: Work with providers and consumers to identify methods for providing systematic feedback to measure satisfaction levels and to provide safe, anonymous suggestions for improving services and enhancing contact with consumers.
• Evaluation Training: Methods to involve a wide range of stakeholders in understanding the purpose and benefits of evaluation, and to technical assistance in developing appropriate indicators and data management systems. Particularly experienced in using outcome-based evaluation methods, developed in consultation with human service providers and clients.
• Technical Assistance: Advice and guidance on choosing methods for gathering information in cost effective, valid and appropriate ways. Expertise in interviews, focus groups, survey design and recruitment/sampling of appropriate respondents (including snowball sampling methods for populations which can't be enumerated).