Instructions for External Reviewers
INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXTERNAL REVIEWERS
Distinguished Fellows Applications
November 2014
REVIEW STAGE
You are reviewing a full proposal that we invited after reviewing the applicant’s letter of inquiry.
PURPOSE OF EXTERNAL REVIEWS
Senior staff will use the external reviews to decide whether the proposal moves to the next stage in the process, i.e., review by the Senior Program Team.
Applicants use the reviews to strengthen their proposals and future work. All applicants receive excerpted copies of their external reviews, regardless of whether they move further in the selection process. Yourreview should therefore offer thoughtful, constructive comments.
GUIDELINES FOR COMPLETING YOUR REVIEW
Fit of Applicant and Fellowship Goals
Your review is designed to evaluate the proposal’s fit with the Foundation’sgoals for the Fellowship awards. The William T. Grant Distinguished FellowshipProgram is designed to increase the supply of, demand for, and use of high-quality research in the service of improved youth outcomes. To accomplish this goal, the program gives influential mid-career researchers the opportunity to immerse themselves in practice or policy settings and conversely gives influential practitioners and policymakers the opportunity to work in research settings.
We define “mid-career” as having between eight and twenty years in one role (i.e., researcher, policymaker, or practitioner).
We define “influential” as someone who is seen by colleagues in his/her role as knowledgeable and well-connected to others in that role. This person uses knowledge and connections to influence colleagues on matters important to youth. Thus, what they learn from the Fellowship could have radiating impacts on their fields. We have requested that applicants submit three letters of recommendation to help us evaluate their standing and influence in their primary roles and fields.
Quality of the Proposal
In your review, we also ask that you evaluate the quality of the proposal. We are interested in whether the application
- proposes activities, host site, and mentor that are well-suited for the goals of the Fellowship
- provides sufficient detail on the plans for engaging with the proposed activities, site, and mentor
- Demonstrates the significance and potential impact of the award
The activities.We want all Fellows to become more aware of the daily activities, responsibilities, challenges, and substance of their host site(s). In doing so, we expect that policymakers and practitioners will enhance their capacities to recognize and use high-quality research. We expect that researchers will ask and pursue more relevant and grounded research questions.
The host institution(s). All Fellowships must embed the Fellow in the ongoing work of the host site(s) in a way that appropriately builds the Fellow’s awareness of the setting. Proposals that also advance the work of the host site will be more competitive, but this will not be a primary criterion. The major “product” is the development of the Fellow, not the site.
The role of the mentor(s).All applicants must propose at least one mentor to guide their work. The proposal should provide a strong rationale for why the mentor selected is appropriate for the Fellowship’s goals and describe a plan for how the mentor will support the applicant’s learning.
Significance and potential impact of award on applicant’s professional development. The Fellowship is geared toward policymakers, practitioners, and researchers who are already accomplished and influential in their own roles. We want to deepen their understanding of roles and contexts in which they have less experience and expertise. By doing so, we hope more relevant research will be conducted and critically considered. Thus, the opportunities proposed should not typically be available to the applicant.
- For policymakers and practitioners, we want to see the proposed Fellowship help the applicant effectively draw on research and researchers and help other policy/practice colleagues do the same.
- For researchers, we expectthe Fellowship will make a significant difference in the quality of the applicant’s production of research.
Quality of the Review
We greatly appreciate your input at this critical stage in the process. Your review should be more than a summative evaluation of the proposal. The highest quality reviews explain the reasons for how a reviewer arrived at their evaluation and offer suggestions for strengthening the work.
Please feel free to contact us if you have additional questions.
Thank you again for your time, thoughts, and effort.