Advocacy work (e.g., a campaign to influence the state legislature to pass legislation regarding tobacco control).Surveillance systems (e.g., whether early detection of school readiness improves educational outcomes).Research initiatives (e.g., an effort to find out whether inequities in health outcomes based on race can be reduced).Community mobilization efforts (e.g., organizing a boycott of California grapes to improve the economic well-being of farm workers).Direct service interventions (e.g., a program that offers free breakfast to improve nutrition for grade school children).This definition is meant to be very broad.Įxamples of different types of programs include: It may apply to any action with the goal of improving outcomes for whole communities, for more specific sectors (e.g., schools, work places), or for sub-groups (e.g., youth, people experiencing violence or HIV/AIDS). Throughout this section, the term program is used to describe the object or effort that is being evaluated. Evaluation practice has changed dramatically during the past three decades - new methods and approaches have been developed and it is now used for increasingly diverse projects and audiences. This Community Tool Box section describes the framework resulting from the Working Group's efforts.īefore we begin, however, we'd like to offer some definitions of terms that we will use throughout this section.īy evaluation, we mean the systematic investigation of the merit, worth, or significance of an object or effort. Members were asked to develop a framework that summarizes and organizes the basic elements of program evaluation. As a result of this, the CDC assembled an Evaluation Working Group comprised of experts in the fields of public health and evaluation. In 1997, scientists at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized the need to develop such a framework. Over the past years, there has been a growing trend towards the better use of evaluation to understand and improve practice.The systematic use of evaluation has solved many problems and helped countless community-based organizations do what they do better.ĭespite an increased understanding of the need for - and the use of - evaluation, however, a basic agreed-upon framework for program evaluation has been lacking. Communities come together to reduce the level of violence that exists, to work for safe, affordable housing for everyone, or to help more students do well in school, to give just a few examples.īut how do we know whether these programs are working? If they are not effective, and even if they are, how can we improve them to make them better for local communities? And finally, how can an organization make intelligent choices about which promising programs are likely to work best in their community? This section is adapted from the article "Recommended Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health Practice," by Bobby Milstein, Scott Wetterhall, and the CDC Evaluation Working Group.Īround the world, there exist many programs and interventions developed to improve conditions in local communities. Learn how program evaluation makes it easier for everyone involved in community health and development work to evaluate their efforts.
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