NOLARK LEARNING COLLECTIVE

Cultivating insight in people and organizations.

NOLARK Learning Collective provides research, program evaluation, coaching, and professional development for schools, nonprofits, community organizations, and the people who lead them.

THE NOLARK APPROACH

Nurturing Sustained Inquiry, Grounded in Human Truths.

Your knowledge and experience are central to the work. The NOLARK approach builds on what you already know while creating opportunities to examine evidence, question assumptions, consider other perspectives, and recognize what may have been overlooked.

Grounded in reflection, inquiry, and meaningful dialogue, this approach cultivates insight that deepens your understanding of yourself, your work, and how your actions shape the people, organizations, and communities around you.

OUR SERVICES

What NOLARK Does

1:1 Coaching

Individualized reflection sessions that help you examine your experiences, recognize patterns, consider different perspectives, and develop the insight to navigate challenges in your work and leadership.

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Professional Development

Interactive workshops and learning sessions that help teams build skills, examine their practices, and develop insights they can apply to their work.

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Program Evaluation

An examination of how programs operate, what they accomplish, and how they are experienced. Evaluation provides insight into what works, what needs attention, and why.

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Research

Careful study and analysis of questions, experiences, and conditions to build knowledge and develop new insights.

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THE NOLARK COMMITMENT

The value of insight extends beyond any single project, decision, or outcome.

NOLARK's goal is not simply to deliver findings, recommendations, or training. It is to strengthen your capacity to ask meaningful questions, interpret evidence, and continue learning independently.

1:1 COACHING

Making space for reflection, insight, and professional growth.

Individualized coaching for educators, nonprofit professionals, and community leaders navigating their work, leadership, and career development.

Space to Reflect on What Matters to You

Your professional experiences can raise questions worth exploring. Coaching provides dedicated time to reflect more deeply on your work and what you're learning about yourself along the way.

Conversations might explore:

↗Your professional identity and career direction

↗Growing into new leadership responsibilities

↗Navigating organizational change

↗Strengthening workplace relationships

↗Understanding how others experience your leadership

↗Managing competing expectations

↗Recognizing patterns in your professional practice

↗Making sense of challenging experiences

These are possibilities, not a prescribed agenda. Coaching begins with what you bring to the conversation.

What to Expect

Coaching begins with the experiences, questions, and interests you bring. Sessions center on reflection, inquiry, and meaningful dialogue, creating space to examine professional experiences, consider different perspectives, and explore what emerges.

There is no predetermined path or expectation that every conversation must produce an immediate solution. The focus is on cultivating insight that continues to inform your professional practice.

Coaching Packages

60-minute individualized coaching sessions

sessions

$900

Standard rate

sessions

$1,100

Save $100

sessions

$1,500

Save $300

Sessions may be scheduled weekly, biweekly, or monthly, depending on your needs and availability.

Start with a Free 15-Minute Consultation

A brief conversation to discuss your interest in coaching, ask questions, and determine whether NOLARK is a good fit.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Learning that strengthens professional practice.

Interactive learning experiences for educators, nonprofit teams, and community organizations. Sessions create opportunities to build knowledge, examine practices, and apply new perspectives to everyday work.

Learning That Meets Your Organization's Needs

Effective professional development begins with understanding the people doing the work. NOLARK designs learning experiences that connect relevant knowledge with participants' experiences and the realities of their organizations.

Professional development topics might include:

↗Reflective professional practice

↗Leadership development

↗Communication across differences

↗Building collaborative teams

↗Organizational culture

↗Navigating change

↗Strengthening community engagement

↗Using evidence to inform practice

These are examples, not a fixed workshop catalog. Topics and learning objectives are developed in conversation with each organization.

What to Expect

NOLARK professional development is participatory. Sessions invite people to engage with ideas, draw on their experiences, and learn through meaningful dialogue. Activities encourage reflection while building knowledge and practical skills.

Each experience is designed around clear learning objectives. Participants have opportunities to connect what they learn to their own responsibilities and consider how to apply it in their work.

Professional Development Formats

Workshops

Interactive sessions focused on a particular topic or set of skills.

Learning Series

Connected sessions that allow participants to deepen their learning over time.

Facilitated Group Learning

Structured group inquiry centered on shared experiences or questions.

All formats can be tailored to your organization's context and learning objectives.

Planning Your Learning Experience

You don't need a fully developed workshop plan to get started. NOLARK works with organizations to identify what participants need and determine an appropriate learning experience.

Participants

Learning experiences can be designed for staff teams, educators, organizational leaders, or groups with different roles.

Group Size

The number of participants is determined by the learning objectives and planned activities.

Duration

Options may include focused sessions, half-day or full-day workshops, and learning experiences offered over time.

Delivery

Sessions may be delivered virtually or in person, depending on the learning experience and arrangements.

Start with a Conversation

An introductory consultation provides an opportunity to discuss your organization's interests and explore possible approaches. From there, NOLARK can develop a proposal outlining the recommended learning experience.

Have a budget in mind? NOLARK can work with you to explore what's possible.

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PROGRAM EVALUATION

Understanding how programs work and what they accomplish.

Program evaluation for schools, nonprofits, and community organizations seeking to better understand their programs, learn from the people involved, and make informed decisions about their work.

What an Evaluation Can Examine

A program is more than its activities or reported outcomes. Understanding its work also means examining how it operates and how people experience it.

Implementation

How a program is delivered in practice, including the conditions that shape its operation.

Experiences

How participants and others involved understand and experience the program.

Outcomes

What the program accomplishes and what the available evidence suggests about its effects.

An evaluation may focus on one of these dimensions or examine how they relate to one another.

How Evaluation Works

Evaluation is a collaborative process of inquiry. The approach is shaped by the program and the information needed, rather than a predetermined set of measures.

Understand the program

Examine its purpose, context, and how it operates.

Develop evaluation questions

Identify what is important to understand and why.

Gather and examine evidence

Use appropriate methods to learn from available information and the people involved.

Interpret and communicate findings

Make sense of the evidence and share findings in useful, accessible ways.

The process can be adapted to the scope and stage of the evaluation.

Evaluation Support

NOLARK can conduct a complete program evaluation or support an organization with a specific part of its evaluation work.

Comprehensive Evaluation

A coordinated evaluation from initial planning through findings and reporting.

Targeted Evaluation Support

Assistance with evaluation planning, data collection, analysis, or interpretation.

Planning an Evaluation

You don't need a fully developed evaluation plan to begin. An initial conversation can help clarify what your organization wants to understand, what information is available, and what kind of evaluation is feasible.

Scope and timeline depend on the program, the questions being examined, and the work required. Deliverables may include written findings, presentations, or other materials developed for the intended audience.

Start with a Conversation

An introductory consultation provides an opportunity to discuss your program and explore an appropriate evaluation approach. NOLARK can then prepare a proposal outlining the scope, timeline, deliverables, and cost.

Have a budget in mind? NOLARK can work with you to explore what's possible.

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RESEARCH

Investigating questions. Developing knowledge.

Research for schools, nonprofits, and community organizations seeking to investigate important questions, understand experiences, and develop knowledge that informs their work and contributes to broader understanding.

Research Begins with a Question

Some questions require more than existing information or familiar explanations. Research offers a systematic way to investigate those questions and develop a deeper understanding of the people, practices, and conditions involved.

NOLARK works with organizations to clarify what they want to investigate, examine what is already known, and develop an approach appropriate to the inquiry.

Research may begin with:

An experience that deserves closer examination, an emerging issue, a gap in existing knowledge, or a question that has not yet been adequately answered.

Research Approaches

Different questions require different kinds of evidence. NOLARK draws on research approaches suited to the purpose and context of each study.

Qualitative Research

Explores experiences and meanings through methods such as interviews, observations, and document analysis.

Quantitative Research

Examines measurable patterns and relationships using numerical data and statistical analysis.

Mixed-Methods Research

Integrates qualitative and quantitative evidence to investigate questions from complementary perspectives.

The research question guides the choice of methods.

Research Services

NOLARK supports research from initial study design through the communication of findings. Engagements may involve a complete study or assistance with a particular stage of the work.

Study Design

Developing research questions and a sound methodological approach.

Data Collection

Gathering evidence through methods appropriate to the study.

Analysis

Examining evidence to identify patterns and develop interpretations.

Reporting and Dissemination

Communicating findings through reports, presentations, or other research products.

From Evidence to Knowledge

Research involves more than collecting information. Evidence must be examined carefully, interpreted within its context, and considered alongside what is already known.

Findings may deepen understanding, challenge existing explanations, or reveal questions that warrant further investigation. NOLARK communicates both what the evidence supports and where uncertainty remains.

Planning a Research Project

You don't need a complete research design before reaching out. An introductory conversation can help clarify the focus of a study, the evidence it may require, and the resources needed to conduct it responsibly.

Project proposals outline the research approach, scope, timeline, deliverables, and cost. When research involves human participants, planning also considers appropriate consent, privacy protections, and any required ethical review.

Start with a Conversation

An introductory consultation provides an opportunity to discuss your research interests and determine whether NOLARK is a good fit for the proposed inquiry.

Have a budget in mind? NOLARK can work with you to explore what's possible.

Request a Consultation ↗

THE PERSON BEHIND NOLARK

About the Founder

Janese Nolan, founder of NOLARK Learning Collective

Janese Nolan, PhD

Janese Nolan is an educator, researcher, and former assistant professor of PK–12 school leadership with over 15 years of experience across classroom teaching, school administration, and higher education. Having worked in these different settings, she understands the complexities of professional practice from multiple perspectives.

Throughout her career, Janese has been interested in the questions people ask about their work—and the questions they sometimes don't think to ask. Her experiences have shaped an approach that values curiosity, thoughtful reflection, and a willingness to examine familiar situations from different angles. She recognizes that the people closest to the work often hold knowledge and perspectives that deserve greater attention.

As the founder of NOLARK Learning Collective, Janese brings this perspective to her relationships with individuals and organizations. She approaches each engagement with a commitment to listening carefully, asking meaningful questions, and creating space for people to think more deeply about the experiences and challenges that matter to them.

LET'S CONNECT

Contact NOLARK

Have a question or interested in exploring a potential engagement? Share a little about what you're looking for.

Prefer to Start with a Conversation?

Schedule a complimentary 15-minute inquiry call to discuss your needs and explore potential next steps.

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