How Does Domestic Violence Affect the Vermont Workplace? A survey of male offenders enrolled in batterer intervention programs in Vermont

This report informs policy makers and employers about the way Vermont workplaces are affected by domestic violence. It provides important information to help employers make decisions about policy and procedural responses to employees involved in domestic violence.

The pervasiveness and severity of domestic violence perpetrated through workplace resources and work time and the impact of these actions on the workplace is not well known in Vermont or in the U.S. This study offers Vermonters valuable information on domestic violence and the workplace and adds to this growing body of knowledge. The study findings come from a representative sample of men enrolled in batterer intervention programs in Vermont who have abused their intimate partners (95%, +/-4.5%). We focused on domestic violence perpetrated by men against their female intimate partners because the Vermont Criminal Information Center (2009) reported that women are the victim of men in 80% of domestic violence cases. The Vermont Council on Domestic Violence partnered with the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont and Spectrum Youth and Family Services’ Violence Intervention and Prevention Programs to combine our topical and research expertise to design and implement this study. This study examined the impact of domestic violence on the perpetrator and victim’s workplace, including abusive contact at the workplace, paid and unpaid time taken off from work, and productivity and safety. We also examined the workplace response to domestic violence from supervisors, co-workers, and policies and procedures. In addition, offenders’ gave their perspective on useful measures employers can implement to improve the workplace response to domestic violence.

For more information about this study or to request additional copies of this report, please contact Michele Cranwell Schmidt, Evaluation Coordinator, at mschmidt@uvm.edu, call (802) 656-0256 or visit www.uvm.edu/crs/.

Vermont's Title II-D Enhancing Education Through Technology Program: Fall 2010 Interim Report

The federal Enhancing Education Through Technology (Ed-Tech) program provides grants to state education agencies. The goal of these grants is to improve student achievement by using technology in elementary and secondary schools. Administered by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of School Support and Technology Programs, the program is a funding source authorized under Title II, Part D, of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002). In Vermont, Ed-Tech funds have been allocated to local school districts by both formula (on the basis of their proportional share of Title I funding) and competitive grants administered by the Vermont Department of Education (VTDOE).

Evaluation of the Vermont Ed-Tech program provides formative and summative feedback to VTDOE. There are four phases to the evaluation. The first phase, February 2010 to April 2010, sought to describe the different grant programs in terms of their goals, activities, expected outcomes, and available data sources. During this phase, evaluators interviewed program administrators of the competitive grant programs. The deliverable of this phase was a revised evaluation plan and detailed profiles of each program. The second evaluation phase, from April 2010 to August 2010, reported on the initial implementation of programs. During this phase, the evaluators conducted surveys and interviews with teachers and grant managers. The deliverable of this phase was an interim evaluation report on program implementation, submitted to VTDOE in August 2010.3 The third evaluation phase, from September 2010 to January 2011, provided a more focused study of implementation in a small number of schools in each program based on interviews and classroom observations. Its deliverable is this evaluation report. The fourth evaluation phase, from February 2011 to June 2011, is designed to collect additional data via surveys and interviews, as well as extant data about program participation, to arrive at summative conclusions about the entire program.

For more information about this study or to request additional copies of this report, please contact Michele Cranwell Schmidt, Evaluation Coordinator, at mschmidt@uvm.edu, call (802) 656-0256 or visit www.uvm.edu/crs/.

Local Agriculture Community Exchange (LACE) Final Evaluation Report: 2007-2010

The evaluation of the LACE project focused on both process and outcome strategies; evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the program's development and interventions, such as improvements to the LACE space and the presence of CVCAC staff on-site at the LACE location to provide services for entrepreneurs. The evaluation also examines strategies to recruit and retain vendors, the quality of technical assistance provided, and client outcomes such as increased sales, earned income, and job creation. These outcomes were anticipated to result from connecting local producers and entrepreneurs to a viable market. The outcome evaluation provides an assessment of project results as measured by collected data that define the net effects of the interventions applied in the project. The outcome evaluation produces and interprets findings related to whether the interventions produced desirable changes and their potential for being replicated, answering the question of whether or not the program worked. The process evaluation component is an ongoing examination of the implementation of the LACE investment and project, including collaboration among project partners. The results of the process component were provided as a management tool to facilitate continuous project improvement. In documenting project development, the process evaluation also served to help staff identify challenges or barriers, strategies to resolve them, and provided recommendations for future implementation. The process and outcome evaluations utilize both qualitative and quantitative methods, such as telephone and intercept surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and review of database information.

For more information about this study or to request additional copies of this report, please contact Michele Cranwell Schmidt, Evaluation Coordinator, at mschmidt@uvm.edu, call (802) 656-0256 or visit www.uvm.edu/crs/.

Community Capital of Vermont - Final Evaluation Report

I conducted a 3-year evaluation of process and outcome measures to determine best practices, the impact of services, and the development of a replicable model for the Community Capital of Vermont (CCV). This final evaluation report presents cumulative data collected from staff, key project partners, stakeholders, and borrowers from October 1, 2005 to September 30, 2008, with inclusion of key data collected through the one year extension period through September 30, 2009. This report initially reviews process evaluation results in discussing the CCV project implementation, including loan financing and post-loan TA provided over the course of the grant. Project outcomes are measured through borrower focus groups, follow-up telephone surveys conducted with borrowers six months to two and a half years post loan closing, and borrower data collected by Loan Officers during the application process and at the end of the grant. For more information about this study or to request additional copies of this report, please contact Michele Cranwell Schmidt, Evaluation Coordinator, at mschmidt@uvm.edu, call (802) 656-0256 or visit www.uvm.edu/crs/.

Community Capital of Vermont (CCV), a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) making micro and small business loans in the central Vermont region since 1997, proposed to expand its loan and post-loan technical assistance (TA) services statewide over a three year period. This strategic decision was made by CCV in light of two primary concerns: 1) the longevity of the State's statewide micro-credit program, the Vermont Job Start Loan Fund, was in question following an in-depth assessment of its re-capitalization and staffing needs, and 2) CCV's desire to implement its mission to support micro and small business development on a wider scale and thereby improving its own program sustainability. Statewide expansion was achieved due in part to a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Community Services (OCS) grant #90EE0715 to Central Vermont Community Action Council (CVCAC) of which CCV was a sub-grantee.

By 2008, CCV had transitioned its organizational infrastructure and service delivery from a regional to statewide focus and acquired the assets of the Vermont Job Start Loan Fund. All activities were undertaken in partnership with a wide variety of statewide and regional partners including CVCAC and the other Community Action Agencies (CAAs) operating in Vermont.

For the period of October 1, 2005 to September 30, 2008, CCV had the overall goal of lending $1,470,000 in loans to 96 micro and small businesses that in turn create 144 jobs, of which 60% will be filled by low income individuals whose household income and family size places them at or below 150% of the federal poverty level guidelines. At the end of OCS grant following a one year extension through September 30, 2009, CCV had in fact made loans totaling $1,864,721 to 93 micro and small businesses owned by 120 people. Of the 93 businesses, 57% (53) were owned by a low-income owner. Including owner jobs and employees, these businesses created 165 FTE jobs and retained 149 FTE jobs for a total of 314 FTE positions created and/or retained.

Highlights from CRS Statewide Survey of Vermont Women Entrepreneurs

The Center for Rural Studies (CRS) at the University of Vermont recently conducted a survey of Vermont Women's Business Center (VWBC) participants. This statewide survey was conducted in June of 2009 and contacted 1,446 past and current VWBC participants. A total of 304 clients completed the telephone survey, representing the larger client pool with a 95% confidence interval and plus or minus 5% margin of error. The study measured the impact of VWBC services on the lives of participants who sought to start or expand their own business.

Survey results showed that 53% (86) of clients started a business after working with the program and 71% (61) of start-ups were still in operation after an average of 3 years (range of 5 months to 7.5 years). This survival rate is higher than the Small Business Administration's 2008 national average survival rate of 66% after 2 years and 44% after 4 years. Respondents' businesses have created and sustained 174 full-time jobs and 76% of owners have also hired part-time employees to help run operations.

A strong majority, 89% (139), indicated that their business has a positive net worth and calculated gross profit rates ranged from 10% to 100% for the majority of respondents (87%, 98). With most businesses generating a profit, two out of three owners reported earning household income from business revenue and 25% stated that this is their primary source of income. Participants were also asked questions to assess skill development and personal changes experienced because of VWBC services. Skill gains most commonly noted include marketing and sales (44%, 132) and writing a business plan (37%, 112). The survey also explored changes in participants' personal outlook and perspective after working with the VWBC. Nearly half, 49%, feel more self-confident, 32% are more motivated and encouraged to carry out their passion, and 11% broadened the scope of their possibilities.

VWBC services have facilitated many positive outcomes for Vermont women business owners. Participants expressed high satisfaction rates of services and individual assistance received from VWBC business counselors. Most (81%, 234) agreed that VWBC met their expectations and 63% (133) attributed their business success in part to VWBC services. Linda Ingold, Director of VWBC said, "I am pleased to see statistically how the Vermont Women's Business Center is effecting positive economic change for Vermont's women, families and the State as a whole."

CRS is a nonprofit, fee-for-service research organization. CRS provides process and outcome focused evaluation services for social service and government agencies. Service areas evaluated in the past ten years include microenterprise development, education and literacy, teen leadership, restorative justice for youth, and domestic violence services. For more information about this study or to request additional copies of this report, please contact Michele Cranwell Schmidt, Evaluation Coordinator, at mschmidt@uvm.edu, call (802) 656-0256 or visit www.uvm.edu/crs/.

The VWBC is a statewide program of the Central Vermont Community Action Council (CVCAC) and funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The VWBC offers programming tailored to the needs and experiences of aspiring and established women entrepreneurs from a central office located in Barre, Vermont and via subcontracts with Vermont's four other Community Action Agencies. For more information please contact Linda Ingold at (802) 479-7379 or visit www.vwbc.org.