Grant-Seeking Numbers help win grants. They feature prominently in several sections of a grant proposal. Applicants who can present numbers to show a need, clarify goals and measure progress are more likely to attract sponsors and patrons than those who rely upon platitudes. Control groups will not show comparable growth. In this section the applicant demonstrates familiarity with good research design as well as instruments which may already possess proven validity and reliability.
Vague promises are unlikely to win funding or support.
When it comes to grant writing, numbers can speak more eloquently than words. I first became aware of assessment as staff development when classroom teachers in Bellingham became observers charged with the task of measuring the students' group behaviors, logic and persuasiveness. For many, the experience made the goals of the technology program come to life in palpable terms while dramatizing what work still needed to be done. Many commented that they had learned more by watching than they normally learned when charged more officially with learning. Previous articles suggest explanations .