Sperling Center for Research and Innovation

Sperling Center for Research and Innovation elevates the quality and impact of youth development organizations and schools by turning evidence into action.

We strive to provide the knowledge and tools communities and schools need to reach more young people where they are, through adults they know, with strategies that work.

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Turning Evidence Into Action™

Sperling Center for Research and Design, SCRI, blends practical experience with research insights to help educators and youth development professionals turn evidence into action. We meet partners where they are, helping them optimize quality, improve outcomes, deepen knowledge, and strengthen systems to achieve their goals. We have unique expertise in summer and afterschool — rooted in proven approaches for equitable and engaging experiences for young people. Through coaching, intentional design, strategy development, growth planning, evaluation, and targeted tools and resources, SCRI offers evidence-based, actionable guidance and practical steps to advance partners’ priorities.

Share
Knowledge

Translating evidence and insights to advance practice. Our research strengthens the science and practice behind academic and social and emotional learning, quality, family engagement, professional learning, and partnerships to improve youth programs and policies.

Improve
Outcomes

Strengthening organizational capacity to achieve positive youth outcomes. Staff are the most critical drivers of program quality and success. We illuminate the conditions and strategies that strengthen practice and become a part of your team to measure outcomes and support continuous improvement.

Optimize
Quality

Improving youth experience, engagement, and achievement. We drive continuous improvement in critical areas, including culture and climate, curriculum and instruction, program administration, and evaluation and assessment.

Strengthen
Systems

Leveraging expertise to reach more young people. We focus on strategy, partnerships, service delivery, talent development, culture, and measures of success to help organizations and philanthropies grow and scale.

Why Partner with SCRI?

Evidence-based practice is our specialty

SCRI is an affiliate of BellXcel, a national nonprofit with nearly 30 years’ experience innovating educational solutions rooted in evidence. We have extensive experience partnering with schools, community-based and national youth organizations to turn evidence into action.

Data guides our work

SCRI’s team has years of experience collecting, analyzing, translating, and harnessing the power of data to optimize youth programming. We help our partners focus their energy on strategies that will increase quality and deepen impact.

Collaboration leads to innovation

Everything we do is in partnership with others. Our team is skilled at transferring knowledge and building the capacity of partners to design and deliver innovative models and services.

Families Are Key to Building Back Better: Unpacking Elements of Effective Engagement in Remote Learning

In this research brief, learn how remote summer programs using the BellXcel model established supportive and consistent relationships between staff and families, which empowered families to support their children’s learning.