Multisite Evaluation Practice: Lessons and Reflections From Four Cases

Multisite Evaluation Practice: Lessons and Reflections From Four Cases

Author: Frances Lawrenz

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-04-19

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 1118044495

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Multisite evaluation settings differ from the single settings common to research on evaluation use. In addition to the primary intended users, there is another important group of potential evaluation users in settings where government agencies or large national or international foundations fund multisite projects: project leaders and local evaluators. If each project site is expected to take part in or support the overall program evaluation, then these individuals frequently serve as links between their projects and the larger cross-project evaluation of the funded program. The field has not, until now, address the topic of how being asked or required to participate in such evaluations affects these people who play a critical role in multisite evaluations. These issue does so in two ways. The first six chapters present data and related analyses from research on four multisite evaluations, documenting the patterns of invovlement in these evaluation projects and the extent to which different levels of involvment in program evluations resulted in different patterns of evaluation use and influence. The remaining chapters offer reflections on the results of the cases or their implications, some by people who were part of the original research and some by those who were not. The goal is to encourage readers to think actively about ways to improve multisite evaluation practice. This is the 129th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Evaluation, an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.


Multisite Evaluations

Multisite Evaluations

Author: Robin S. Turpin

Publisher:

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Multisite evaluations are conducted for many reasons -- to increase the option to generalize findings, to maximize sample size, and to respond to political and social demands. However, the conduct of these evaluations requires careful consideration. The papers in this volume are intended to provide information to evaluators on some of the advantages and limitations and on the organizational, methodological and statistical issues implicit in this type of evaluation.


Conducting Multiple Site Evaluations in Real-World Settings

Conducting Multiple Site Evaluations in Real-World Settings

Author: James M. Herrell

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Published: 2002-07-22

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In the past decade, interest in multisite evaluation has grown, but there is still not a substantial literature on the issues involved in conducting evaluations in multiple sites. There are, however, a number of threads that readers may be interested in pursuing. The literature on clinical trials increasingly contains references to conducting multicenter clinical trials. Cluster evaluation is an approach to multisite evaluation that has been developed by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for improving the evaluation of certain foundation initiatives. The studies described in this volume represent an approach to multisite evaluation that has much in common with the clinical trials tradition. However, it shares with cluster evaluation an appreciation for the adjustments that are necessary to reflect the realities of conducting evaluation research in actual service settings. This is the 94th issue of the quarterly report New Directions for Evaluation.


Evaluation Strategies for Communicating and Reporting

Evaluation Strategies for Communicating and Reporting

Author: Rosalie T. Torres

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 9780761927549

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Evaluation Strategies for Communicating and Reporting has been thoroughly revised and updated creating 75% new material and 34 new case examples. The Second Edition provides worksheets and instructions for creating a detailed communicating and reporting plan based on audience needs and characteristics. Authors Rosalie T. Torres, Hallie Preskill, and Mary E. Piontek cover advances in technology including Web site communications, Web and videoconferencing, and Internet chat rooms. Also mentioned are several additional topics for consideration, including communicating and reporting for diverse audiences and for multi-site evaluations.


Looking Beyond Suppression

Looking Beyond Suppression

Author: Erika Gebo

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 0739150162

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This edited book significantly contributes to the knowledge on how to address gang problems from a broad community perspective, which takes into account criminal justice agencies, social service providers, and community leaders, along with police, who have implemented collaborative anti-gang policies and practices. As community-wide efforts become more common, it is increasingly important to investigate effective strategies to address social problems. Beyond Suppression: Community Strategies to Reduce Gang Violence explores a demonstration project of one state's efforts to reduce gang and youth violence through use of a comprehensive initiative, the Comprehensive Gang Model (CGM). The relevance of the CGM as a conceptual framework to guide gang policy and practice is illustrated throughout the book, and tailored gang reduction strategies derived from that framework and rooted in the ecological constitution of communities are showcased. The chapters highlight implementation strategies employed by various communities using a case study methodology that assists in garnering an in-depth perspective of implementation issues and key dimensions of the CGM. This book answers important questions about how communities operationalize the CGM. The results of these investigations are important for scholars, learners, and practitioners who seek to address gang violence using a customized response.


Designing Educational Project and Program Evaluations

Designing Educational Project and Program Evaluations

Author: David A. Payne

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 9401113769

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Drawing upon experiences at state and local level project evaluation, and based on current research in the professional literature, Payne presents a practical, systematic, and flexible approach to educational evaluations. Evaluators at all levels -- state, local and classroom -- will find ideas useful in conducting, managing, and using evaluations. Special user targets identified are state department of education personnel and local school system administrative personnel. The volume can be used by those doing evaluation projects `in the field', or as a text for graduate courses at an introductory level. The book begins with an overview of the generic evaluation process. Chapter Two is devoted to the criteria for judging the effectiveness of evaluation practice. Chapter Three addresses the all important topic of evaluation goals and objectives. Chapters Four, Five and Six basically are concerned with the approach, framework, or design of an evaluation study. Chapter Four contains a discussion of four major philosophical frameworks or metaphors and the implications of these frameworks for conducting an evaluation. Chapters Five and Six describe predominantly quantitative and qualitative designs, respectively. Design, implementation and operational issues related to instrumentation (Chapter Seven), management and decision making (Chapter Eight), and reporting and utilization of results (Chapter Nine) are next addressed. The final chapter of the book (Chapter Ten) considers the evaluation of educational products and materials.


Participatory Evaluation Up Close

Participatory Evaluation Up Close

Author: J. Bradley Cousins

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2012-07-01

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 1617358037

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Empiricism provides the backbone of knowledge creation within social science disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology) and applied domains of study (e.g., education, administration) alike. Yet, relative to such domains of inquiry, comparatively little empirical research on evaluation has occurred, and the research knowledge base been infrequently synthesized and integrated to influence theory and practice. The proposed book aims to fill this void with regard to participatory evaluation, a set of collaborative approaches to evaluation that is receiving considerable attention of late, including a growing body of empirical studies. The authors begin in Part 1 with the delineation of a widely known and familiar conceptual framework for participatory evaluation. They then use the framework in Part 2 as a guide to conducting an extensive review of the extant empirical knowledge base in participatory evaluation, culminating in a thematic analysis of what we know about the approach. In Part 3 the authors focus on methodological considerations of doing research on participatory evaluation through a critique of existing studies and an explication of design choices drawn from their own research program. The book concludes in Part 4 with implications for moving the field forward in terms of important research questions, methodological direction and evaluation practice. This book will be of central interest to evaluation theorists and to those who choose to conduct research on evaluation; appeal will be conceptual and methodological. It will provide excellent supplementary reading for graduate students, many of whom seek to develop empirical studies on evaluation as part of their graduate programs. Rife with examples of participatory evaluation in practice, and practical implications, the book will also benefit evaluation practitioners with an interest in evaluation capacity building and participatory and collaborative approaches to practice.


Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

Author: Joseph S. Wholey

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2010-11-08

Total Pages: 752

ISBN-13: 047052247X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The book is designed to enable students of public policy, policymakers and mangers to obtain useful information and conduct successful systematic evaluations, even under tight resource constraints. This text presents a wide variety of approaches to evaluation through brief, authoritative articles by top academics and practitioners. Thoroughly revised and updated this third edition is filled with the most current information, up-to-date examples, and puts increased emphasis on practical applicability. The third edition also features a new and up-dated instructor’s manual.


Handbook on Evaluation

Handbook on Evaluation

Author: Reinhard Stockmann

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2024-08-06

Total Pages: 421

ISBN-13: 1035321483

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In this Handbook, Reinhard Stockmann and other esteemed experts in the field provide a systematic and comprehensive exploration into the planning, process, implementation and utilisation of evaluations. Covering the process and individual steps of evaluation in detail, in chronological order and in terms of practical application, it identifies the characteristics and standards that distinguish a professionally and competently conducted evaluation.


Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

Author: Kathryn E. Newcomer

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2015-08-31

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 1118893603

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The leading program evaluation reference, updated with the latest tools and techniques The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation provides tools for managers and evaluators to address questions about the performance of public and nonprofit programs. Neatly integrating authoritative, high-level information with practicality and readability, this guide gives you the tools and processes you need to analyze your program's operations and outcomes more accurately. This new fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and revised, with new coverage of the latest evaluation methods, including: Culturally responsive evaluation Adopting designs and tools to evaluate multi-service community change programs Using role playing to collect data Using cognitive interviewing to pre-test surveys Coding qualitative data You'll discover robust analysis methods that produce a more accurate picture of program results, and learn how to trace causality back to the source to see how much of the outcome can be directly attributed to the program. Written by award-winning experts at the top of the field, this book also contains contributions from the leading evaluation authorities among academics and practitioners to provide the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference on the topic. Valid and reliable data constitute the bedrock of accurate analysis, and since funding relies more heavily on program analysis than ever before, you cannot afford to rely on weak or outdated methods. This book gives you expert insight and leading edge tools that help you paint a more accurate picture of your program's processes and results, including: Obtaining valid, reliable, and credible performance data Engaging and working with stakeholders to design valuable evaluations and performance monitoring systems Assessing program outcomes and tracing desired outcomes to program activities Providing robust analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data Governmental bodies, foundations, individual donors, and other funding bodies are increasingly demanding information on the use of program funds and program results. The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation shows you how to collect and present valid and reliable data about programs.