Who we are
Russell Faux, Ed.D.
The idea to found Davis Square Research can be linked to the coming together of a number of ideas, observations, and people. The burdensome overhead costs of larger organizations seemed to me to stifle the capacities of small, innovative projects, dooming these projects to amateurish and generally unhelpful evaluations. The typical situation is that a project goes to an organization and procures the services of that organization, whether or not the scale of the project is an appropriate match for the size of the organization. Why not create an organization that will re-size itself – without diminishing expertise – to fit the needs of the client? This challenge remains as important today as it was back in 2001.
Jay Feldman, Ph.D.
I have long been committed to working in research and evaluation, especially in projects that promote equitable, democratic education. My work has included studies on multi-age grouping in alternative educational settings. I also have extensive experience in the evaluation of technology infusion, professional development, and school change. I believe that when educators seek to strengthen the learning of all students, that the function of evaluation becomes even more critical.
In my recent work with the WiredWoods Project, for example, counselors and teachers worked to re-direct the lives of inner city children by stimulating their interest in and opening a new window of opportunity to computers and technology. Through what may appear to an outsider to be mere play comes profoundly meaningful learning. With evaluation at the core of curricular and pedagogical decision-making, these children came away with new skills, and the resolution to do better in their lives. Data-driven decision making, through the thoughtful and reflective uses of evaluation, consistently delivers clear and practical results.