Are evaluators responsible for making sure that evaluation results are used by those funding the program or running the program? Or, should evaluators focus on providing results? Does our responsibility end once the results are disseminated? This is something I’ve been thinking about for years,…
Evaluators are funny people. We like to evaluate everything, from programs, to ourselves, to our own evaluations. I often ask myself, “How do I know my evaluation is working?” As an internal evaluator in a DC youth center, one of my tasks is to create…
Formatting is not important! When building a logic model, the process itself is more valuable than the finished product. Logic models help you visualize what you’re doing (“activities”) and the goals for your program (short-term, medium-term, and long-term “outcomes”). Most importantly, logic models help you explain the…
One of our youth center’s talented staff members is considering evaluation as a career. She’s approached me a few times and asked to volunteer on evaluation projects. What type of project can you give a novice evaluator? Data analysis? Writing a report? Conducting a focus group?…
As an internal evaluator in a multiservice community-based youth center, one of my many roles and goals is to foster an organizational culture of learning and evaluation. What does this really mean? And how do we know whether we’ve achieved it? One of several frameworks for…