Every city runs social programs, which are funded by the taxes you pay. This includes economic development programs, housing programs, and teenage pregnancy prevention programs, etc. Therefore, if you participate in your government's council meetings or simply enjoy following your city's political news, you need to understand the basics of program evaluation, and especially its assumptions. In this manner, you will know what questions to ask and how to make better decisions as an individual and a community. This also facilitates our government's system of checks and balances. In other words, how can citizens check on their government if they don't understand what is being presented or proposed?
Also, you should know that, because the field of evaluation is not yet standardized, there are numerous definitions of evaluation terms. Therefore, you may read information from other sources that is different from mine. The important thnig to remember is the different concepts, not necessarily the different names of the different concepts.
Please see the attached slide show, and as usual contact me directly if you have any questions or comments.
This article is the first in a series addressing the four basic types of program evaluation, so please look for future articles in this series.
Comments
Your readers may be interested in the work of the Evaluation Policy Task Force (EPTF) of the American Evaluation Association. They released this year a Roadmap for a More Effective Government that identifies a broader role for evaluation, as you suggest, to go beyond minimal compliance monitoring. Their work, including the roadmap, may be found on the American Evaluation Association's website at eval.org (just click through to "Evaluation Policy" from the main page).
Susan Kistler, Executive Director, American Evaluation Association
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