Big Thought and Dallas Afterschool have worked in consultation with SMU’s Center on Research and Evaluation (CORE) and with support from the Better Together Fund. Together, the partners developed a plan to establish a formal alliance to implement the Expanded Learning Information System (ELIS). ELIS is a comprehensive system of student-level and pragmatic data designed to support Out-of-School Time (OST) service providers throughout Dallas County.

Our primary objectives are to:

Reduce data collection redundancies currently burdening program providers and intermediary organizations;
Deliver actionable data, as frequently as possible, so that program improvements can be made;
Drive positive outcomes for children, families and communities by supporting data-driven decision making, at scale;
Provide better evidence about program process and impact to key stakeholders, including Dallas ISD, OST providers, backbone organizations, foundations, universities, families, and other local state and education agencies;
Equip organizations with usable data to support their communications and development needs.