While Rockman et al is a widely-recognized, employee-owned cooperative, focusing on evaluation and research, it didn’t start that way.
It was built from the ground up by Saul Rockman. After leaving Apple Computer in 1990, Saul launched his firm from a basement office in San Francisco. He grew his business to where it stands today – with more than 15 talented and highly-experienced staff conducting a wide variety of projects for public and private clients across the United States.
Building on Saul’s longtime contacts within education and technology, the company initially engaged in studies of school reform and educational policy with an emphasis on the use of technology. These included the pioneering 1:1 studies for Microsoft and numerous federal research projects on the adoption of computer technology in schools. Over time, Saul built a team with diverse backgrounds and interests and broadened the company’s scope to include research and evaluation on topics such as educational leadership, assessment development, and a wide range of market research activities.
Rockman et al has worked with the National Science Foundation to investigate how Bill Nye the Science Guy engages children and expands their understanding of science. We’ve helped world-class museums discover the outcomes of their exhibits and programs. We’ve gathered evidence on the importance of after-school and extracurricular programs including Poetry Out Loud, National History Day, YR Media (formerly Youth Radio), and Black Girls Code. We’ve helped study educational initiatives in small, medium, and large school districts across the United States. We’ve examined the implementation of public media projects and their impacts on diverse youth and adult audiences. We’ve also prepared policy briefs, white papers, research summaries, and marketing materials.
Converting the company to an employee-owned cooperative allowed our highly-experienced staff to take on new responsibilities and leadership roles. Our new management team is taking steps to strengthen the capacity of our researchers and engage them more in how the company conducts its business.
Through it all, Rockman et al has prioritized professional development and making scholarly contributions, so that our employees continue to grow and help advance the field of education research. We view every new project, including yours, as an opportunity to expand on this tradition.