| “We
must form our minds by reading deep rather than wide”
- Marcus Fabius Quintilianus |
Valuable Resources: Evaluation Planning
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General Evaluation Planning
Check out these resources to learn more about planning
for a program evaluation.
Introduction
to Program Evaluation for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Office
on Smoking and Health developed this "how to" guide
for planning and implementing evaluation activities. The purpose
of this manual is to assist state tobacco control program
managers and staff in the planning, design, implementation,
and use of comprehensive evaluations of tobacco control efforts.
The Program Manager's Guide to Program Evaluation
The Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACF)
developed this guide to explain program evaluation –what
it is and how to do it. The guide covers many details helpful
in evaluation planning, such as costs and staffing, and establishing
evaluation plans, design, and objectives.
Basic
Guide to Outcomes-Based Evaluation for Nonprofit Organizations
with Very Limited Resources
The Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits makes available
this online document on the basic planning and implementation
of an outcomes evaluation in nonprofit organizations. Prepared
for small nonprofits with limited resources, this guide is
based on and complements the United
Way’s Measuring Program Outcomes: A Practical Approach
The
Community Tool Box
The Community Tool Box provides over 6,000 pages of practical
skill-building information on over 250 different topics for
community program planners, including evaluation planning.
The
Evaluate the Initiative Toolkit includes a framework for
program evaluation and guidance on determining an evaluation’s
purpose and design and choosing evaluators.
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Evaluation Planning: Purpose and Process
This collection of resources provides details and tips
on determining the purpose of an evaluation.
Evaluate
the Initiative Toolkit
Many factors important in defining an evaluation’s purpose
are discussed in sections of the Community Tool Box. They
include clarifying the aims of evaluation, deciding what will
be done with the information learned from the evaluation,
and identifying the evaluation questions important to stakeholders.
Focus
the evaluation design: Purpose (Introduction to Program Evaluation
for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs)
This section of CDC’s "how to" guide for planning
and implementing evaluation activities discusses factors in
determining the purpose of an evaluation.
How
do you prepare for an evaluation? (A Manager’s Guide
to Program Evaluation)
Questions to consider in preparing for an evaluation are detailed
in this chapter of ACF’s evaluation guide. It explores
the need to define what component(s) of the program are being
evaluated and stating program and participant outcome objectives
in measurable terms. In addition, it raises questions related
to context of the program, staff, and program participants
that will need to be considered in light of the evaluation.
What
is program evaluation? (A Manager’s Guide to Program
Evaluation)
This chapter of ACF’s evaluation guide discusses what
types of questions an evaluation can answer, what is involved
in conducting an evaluation, and costs.
What
should you include in an evaluation plan? (A Manager’s
Guide to Program Evaluation)
Details on preparing an evaluation plan, along with a sample
outline of an evaluation plan, are included in this chapter
of ACF’s evaluation guide.
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Evaluation Types and Designs
These resources provide background and discussion on
evaluation types and designs, along with guidance on selecting
the most appropriate design for an evaluation.
Focus
the evaluation design: Common types of evaluation designs
(Introduction to Program Evaluation for Comprehensive Tobacco
Control Programs)
A discussion of evaluation designs and factors to consider
in choosing the appropriate design are included in this section
of CDC’s "how to" guide for planning and implementing
evaluation activities.
Demonstrating
Your Program's Worth: A Primer on Evaluation for Programs
to Prevent Unintentional Injury
This practical guide prepared for CDC’s National Center
for Injury Prevention and Control includes descriptions of
evaluation types—formative, process, impact, and outcome;
and thorough discussion of quantitative and qualitative research
methods.
Choosing
an evaluation design (Evaluation Guidebook)
This evaluation guide prepared for the National Institute
of Justice provides detailed discussion on choosing the appropriate
evaluation design. Key elements, considerations and limitations,
and practical issues are discussed for each evaluation design.
Evaluation
Designs
This section of the World Bank’s “Understanding
Impact Evaluations” web site describes experimental,
quasi-experimental, and non-experimental evaluation designs.
Links to key readings are provided for each.
Evaluation
Cookbook: Information Pages
The Evaluation Cookbook: A Practical Guide to Evaluation Methods
for Lecturers includes a discussion of pre- and post-test
designs.
Evaluation
designs for adequacy, plausibility and probability of public
health programme performance and impact
This article examines the importance of defining the purpose
of the evaluation as a factor in selecting the appropriate
evaluation design. The paper presents a framework for choosing
the most appropriate evaluation design based on the evaluation’s
measures, and discusses how informative and precise the evaluation
findings need to be.
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The Evaluation Team and Outside Consultants
Check out the tips in these resources on assembling an
evaluation team and managing outside evaluators.
Who
Should Conduct Your Evaluation? (A Manager’s Guide to
Program Evaluation)
This chapter of ACF’s evaluation guide explores considerations
in assembling the most appropriate team for an evaluation.
Teams can be made up of staff and outside consultants.
General
information: Choosing the evaluator (Demonstrating Your Program's
Worth: A Primer on Evaluation for Programs to Prevent Unintentional
Injury)
This section of CDC’s primer on evaluation discusses
considerations for hiring an evaluator. A checklist for suitable
evaluation consultants is included.
Choosing
an evaluation team (Electronic Roadmap for Evaluation)
Links to documents that discuss how to choose an evaluation
team are compiled in this section of the Bureau of Justice
Assistance evaluation web site.
How
do you hire and manage an outside evaluator? (A Manager’s
Guide to Program Evaluation)
This chapter of ACF’s evaluation guide provides guidance
on recruiting and managing consultant evaluators. Tips on
preparing job descriptions, finding evaluators, and creating
a contract are included.
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Evaluation Planning Links and Tools
See below for compilations of additional links and tools
on evaluation planning.
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Evaluation Working Group:
Resources
CDC’s Evaluation Working Group web site
includes a comprehensive set of links to evaluation resources,
including standards, manuals, reports, and information on
logic models.
California
Department of Health Services: Tobacco Control Section: Evaluation
The California Department of Health Services is a pioneer
in effective community tobacco control and their web site
offers explanations of evaluations conducted, links to evaluation
reports, evaluation resources, and references.
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