mission
The Center for Applied Research (CFAR) at Central Piedmont addresses the research evaluation needs of educational institutions, community efforts, and national initiatives by:
- Helping organizations develop and improve their programs to better serve their clients,
- Enhancing organizational capacity through rigorous research and evaluation standards and practices, and
- Advancing knowledge about educational reform and innovation.
Vision
The Center for Applied Research is recognized as a leading research and evaluation firm based in a community college setting. The Center:
- is a top choice for community colleges and organizations needing research and evaluation services,
- promotes the value of evaluation when developing quality programs,
- takes a problem solving approach for community advancement, and
- actively engages in state and national conversations about educational reform and policy.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
We value:
- building partnerships with our clients and providing customized services aligned with institutional needs.
- ethical research and evaluation practices including the treatment of human subjects.
- the integrity of our work and believe in approaching our work with rigor and accountability.
- conducting research and evaluation studies that have an impact on organizations, their programs, services, and clientele and providing them with the increased capacity for continuous improvement.
- contributing to national conversations on educational reform that improves student success.
ABOUT CFAR
Program evaluation and applied research have become integral parts of state and federally funded programs as the government and other funding agencies have become increasingly interested in accountability and best practices. However, community-based programs are often priced out of the evaluation market dominated by large for-profit firms and university-based research centers. The Center for Applied Research (CFAR) was created to fill that void and to provide affordable research, assessment, and evaluation services to community-based organizations in the region and around the nation.
CFAR functions as part of the Services Corporation at Central Piedmont Community College, a separate 501(c)3 of the college. Its positioning in the college allows it to draw upon college resources and connections in the community while still maintaining its independence and working beyond the Charlotte region. Since opening in the spring of 2004, we have worked with local governments, educational institutions, businesses, and non-profit, community-based, and faith-based organizations to help them achieve their programmatic goals. We have already received national recognition for our work.