Program Evaluation

Pre-Program Evaluation

L&D Associates will interview program stakeholders and participants to determine the best strategy for approaching any evaluation process. Will the evaluation be a transformative participatory (T-PE) or more of an organizational problem solving evaluation (practical-participatory evaluation, P-PE). All necessary evaluation instruments, surveys and assessment tools will be developed prior to the initiation of the program.

Program Logic Model Development

L&D Associates will assist the client in the development of appropriate Logic Models to guide strategic planning, organize stakeholders’ discussions, guide program activities to “fit” with expected outcomes, develop a framework for the program, and encourage the sustainability of the program.

For a review of the importance of Program Logic Models visit the Ohio Program Evaluator’s Group PowerPoint presentation that will provide you with the information to get started and assist you in developing an improved relationship with your evaluator.

In-Program Evaluation Process

L&D Associates will participate in the client’s program as a professional external evaluation team member. Scheduled conferences will be convened to assess the client and stakeholders of program progress and process and consult on the potential for alterations to program protocols. An assessment of all evaluation instruments will be conducted to determine the effectiveness and appropriateness of each.

Final Program Evaluation Reports

At the termination of any program L&D Associates’ staff will meet with program directors and stakeholders and assess the program’s final data and accomplishments.

All program data, evaluation results and instrument data will be held in the strictest privacy and confidentiality to protect the program, stakeholders and participants.

Definition of Program Evaluation on Wikipedia

A Wikipedia entry has been developed for Program Evaluation. This Wiki provides a basic background for evaluation and provides a short series of external links. Visitors are welcome to add their own comments to the Wiki.

Why Evaluate your program?

For a brief overview of evaluation and its importance to your program’s development and advancement, see our PowerPoint presentation here.

Evaluation Experience

• Program evaluation of Intimate Partner Violence project in American Indian communities.
  Department of Justice Grant in New Mexico
• Program evaluation of a private, non-profit K-12 school for children with learning and emotional disorders.
  Private school in Albuquerque, NM
• Process and outcomes evaluation of a dental clinic in an American Indian health center.
  Indian Health Service, New Mexico
• Process and outcomes evaluation of a women’s health initiative to address cancer detection in American Indian women. Indian Health Service, Santa Fe, NM
• Outcomes evaluation of a child sexual abuse prevention project in an American Indian community.
  New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence, New Mexico
• Process evaluator of a Tribal management grant.
  Indian Health Service, New Mexico
• Process evaluation of a women’s health initiative – Home visitation program to improve breast cancer awareness and screening.
  Indian Health Service, Santa Fe, NM
• Outcomes evaluation of a health information outreach project in an American Indian health center.
  National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Santa Fe, NM

Visit the L&D Associates Store on Amazon.com for Evaluation and Grant Writing Books

Evaluation Tips

How Grant Evaluators Think*

• Many people who have evaluated federal proposals have attended our proposal writing seminars. Without exception, they say the following:
• Give us exactly what we asked for in the RFP, no more or no less.
• Avoid sales pitches without substantiation, e. g., the collective experience of our company exceeds “x” person years.
• Keep it short, concise, and to the point.
• Present a practical, no nonsense solution that meets our requirements precisely and tell us how your solution will benefit us.
• Discuss the risk associated with your solution and how you plan to mitigate it.
• Do not over due the Management Plan; write it precisely to the RFP.
• Don’t throw in management boiler plate for the sake of impressing the evaluators.
• Tell us exactly who will staff the contract and provide a pertinent resume for each proposed key staff resume. Don’t waffle on whether the proposed staff member is actually available, yes or no and are you committed to providing the person.
• Tell us your pertinent corporate qualifications but don’t over do it with experience descriptions that repeat themselves.
• Tailor everything you write to the RFP. All proposal content should be RFP specific including resumes and corporate experience.
• Say it like Newsweek; tightly organized content presented in simple, declarative sentences.
• Evaluators state that the two majors sins of proposal writing are over doing it, use of off the shelf boiler plate, and presentation of extraneous, unwanted material.
• Make our job easy and write to the evaluation criteria. Focus on solving our problem as stated in the RFP and the risks and benefit of your solution.
• Meets each and every requirement stated in the RFP.
• Shows an understanding of the requirements stated in the RFP and why they exist.
• Reflects an acute understanding of their problem the nuances of their operating environment.
• Shows an understanding of the risks involved in implementing the proposed solution and how the risks will be mitigated.
• Clearly states the benefits of the proposed solution and the costs associated with the benefits.
• Summarizes the tangible and intangible value of the proposed solution.
• Make the evaluators comfortable that you know what they need and that you can provide a solution that is practical, will be implemented on schedule and within budget, and is the best value proposition for them.
• Reign in your technical staff and make them write a clear and concise description of your solution. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done in some companies. Technical staff members tend not to like writing and will run and hide when they know they are need for a proposal.

*Reprinted from Fedmarket.com Resource

Evaluation Resources