Xcalibur Blog

  • Participatory Evaluation: Is This What You’ve Been Looking For?

    Participatory Evaluation: Is This What You’ve Been Looking For?

    Among the many questions to ask yourself when designing an evaluation is, what type of an evaluation should we do? One unique and insightful form of evaluation is participatory evaluation. Xcalibur almost exclusively offers participatory evaluation to grants. Why so? We find it provides the highest extent of evaluation impact […]


  • Evaluate Your Thinking

    Evaluate Your Thinking

    Do you find yourself making decisions based on your gut instincts again and again? Do your initiatives seem to falter rather than gain traction? If so, then it may be time for a tune up of your evaluative thinking. Evaluative thinking is critical thinking applied to the context of evaluation. […]


  • #WhyApply

    The #WhyApply campaign celebrates the college application season by sharing supportive and motivating messages on social media about the importance of college and why students should apply. Whether applying to a certificate program, two-year college, or four-year university, celebrating this critical and necessary step on the journey to postsecondary education […]


  • Does Biden’s College Loan Forgiveness Program turn “college” into a trigger word? And what does that mean for college access grants?

    Does Biden’s College Loan Forgiveness Program turn “college” into a trigger word? And what does that mean for college access grants?

    Certain words and phrases elicit intense positive or negative emotions. These are called trigger words, which can usually be grouped into related categories; culture, government, media, pop culture, social debate, and other (pertaining to localities). With the announcement of Biden’s Loan Forgiveness Program, “college” now falls within each category. The […]