Evaluation Methodology

Program leaders are increasingly seeing the value of evidence-based information to guide decisions about their programs, budgets, policies and services. The data gathered through an effective program evaluation can be used to improve existing programs and to demonstrate accountability to stakeholders including funding agencies, legislators, recipients of program services, and the public at large. A variety of resources are available to help ensure evaluations that are useful, feasible, legal/ethical and accurate.

Guidance regarding methods in program evaluation-whether you are designing and implementing needs assessment, evaluability assessment, process analysis, outcome analysis, or cost-benefit analysis-can be found in the resources below.

General Resources

• American Evaluation Association (AEA) provides a variety of resources and information including "Program Evaluation Standards", "Guiding Principles for Evaluators" and links to resources related to online handbooks and texts, high stakes testing, survey design, administration, scanning, and analysis products, and more.
• The Evaluation Exchange, Harvard Family Research Project's evaluation periodical, addresses current issues facing program evaluators of all levels, with articles written by the most prominent evaluators in the field. Designed as an ongoing discussion among evaluators, program practitioners, funders, and policymakers, The Evaluation Exchange highlights innovative methods and approaches to evaluation, emerging trends in evaluation practice, and practical applications of evaluation theory.
• Online Evaluation Resource Library (OERL), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has been developed for professionals seeking to design, conduct, document, or review project evaluations. OERL provides a large collection of sound plans, reports, and instruments from past and current project evaluations in several content areas, and guidelines for how to improve evaluation practice using the Web Site resources.
• Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation

Guides/Handbooks

• Evaluation Handbook, (PDF: 842kb) published by The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, provides practical information on planning and implementing an evaluation.
• User-Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluations, provided by the National Science Foundation and edited by Westat contains information and examples related to designing and reporting mixed method evaluation, qualitative methods and analytic techniques.
• United Way of America's Outcome Measurement Resource Network is designed to provide United Way of America and other organizations resources and information about outcome measurement. Resources include free and low-cost publications such as Measuring Program Outcomes: A Practical Approach.
• The Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation (DHHS) The Guide explains program evaluation - what it is, how to understand it, and how to assess program performance, measure impacts on families and communities, and document program successes.
• Evaluating Head Start: A Recommended Framework for Studying the Impact of the Head Start Program, developed by an Advisory Committee on Head Start Research and Evaluation appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration of Children and Families, makes recommendations for a study or studies that provide a national analysis of the impact of Head Start. The research design answers questions about the difference Head Start makes in children's development and their readiness for school, and how the impact varies under different circumstances.
• By the Bucket: Achieving Results for Children, (PDF: 41kb) a brief published on-line by the National Governors' Association for Best Practices, offers a conceptual framework for thinking about how states can begin the process of improving results for young children and their families by focusing on enhanced accountability. It describes four categories or "buckets" of data that can be used to measure results for children, families, services, and systems.