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Laura Payne-Bourcy is an expert in adolescents' transition to college and career – particularly, rural, first-generation college students. She has presented at the state and national levels on this issue and published multiple studies reflecting the phenomenon as well as designed and studied the efficacy of interventions intended to improve outcomes for these students. She has served as an educational expert for schools and districts specifically seeking to improve literacy and graduation rates. She works with qualified specialists across the state who provide a range of knowledge and experience supporting specific populations, including students with disabilities and their families.
For many clients, Laura functions as an itinerant program and district administrator examining current services’ intensity and intentionality and student achievement data. Programs are then designed, redesigned, or refined to improve related outcomes in core academic, enrichment, and support services. She also consults with experts across the state who have expertise she doesn’t, like mental health services, health and nutrition, or specific content areas to meet the needs of school-based and not-for-profit clients.
LPB Consulting Services has written or collaborated on more than $300 million in funded programming ranging from STEM programming in remote, rural schools to family literacy programming in New York’s small cities.
All these projects have a common thread: they level the playing field for children and families of limited means.
With 20 years of experience in program evaluation, LPB Consulting Services can support programs ranging from those intended to improve literacy achievement to those intended to improve academic aspirations and expectations for struggling students.
Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, evaluation plans and instruments are tailored to the needs of funders (state, federal, and foundation) as well as the real questions that implementers and funders must answer.
With experience in school finance, LPB Consulting Services can help program leaders determine which aspects of an intervention are working, who they are working for, and under what conditions they work best. In addition to refining services, the team will help school-based clients consider how to sustain programming using a combination of competitive/pass through and local funds.
LPB Consulting Services has developed parallel assessments for teachers to use in middle-grade ELA classrooms, curriculum for supporting adults with developmental disabilities improving health and wellness, and web-based training materials for program staff.
Payne-Bourcy is an expert in Literacy Across the Content Areas, Program Development and Evaluation. She works with other expert consultants from around the state to develop and carry out comprehensive professional development services for schools.
The team has developed a variety instruments and protocols to support school district and community-agency planning with topics ranging from return on investment to organizational climate.
The consulting team tailors strategic planning studies to the real issues that affect clients, students, staff, and communities by gathering rich data to inform action plans and monitoring progress.