Evaluating Programs Effectiveness

Evaluation is a process that critically examines a program. It involves gathering and analyzing information about a program’s activities, features, and outcomes. Its purpose is to make conclusions about a program, to improve its effectiveness, to inform programming decisions, or to decide to completely abandon it. It is important to periodically assess and adapt activities to ensure they are maximally effective.

Evaluation enables you to validate your program’s success or progress. The information you collect allows you to effectively communicate your program's impact on others, which is crucial to winning the public relations campaign, building staff morale, and attracting and retaining support from stakeholders.

Forms of Evaluations

Evaluations consist of two broad categories: formative and summative. Formative evaluations are conducted during program development and implementation. This is useful if you want direction on how to best achieve your goals or improve your program. Summative evaluations should be completed once your programs are well established, and you should be informed of the extent to which the program is achieving its goals.

Formative evaluations should include a needs assessment. These factors include who needs the program, how it can be beneficial, those currently not served, and what should be included in the program. Implementation evaluation examines if the program is functioning effectively. It can be a continuous evaluation or a single evaluation. Summative evaluations involve outcome evaluations; is the program achieving the desired outcomes that were agreed upon during the planning stages?  Summative can also include an impact evaluation; this focuses on the short and long-term impact that the program has on the school, community, and the environment or society.

Planning an Evaluation

A well-organized and thoroughly executed evaluation will benefit all stakeholders. An evaluation that is thrown together hastily costs manpower and valuable resources. Though you may feel the insufficiency in time, resources, and expertise to carry out an evaluation, learning about evaluation early on and planning carefully will help you navigate the process. The evaluation should be constructed to address the specific goals and objectives of your program. Proper evaluation is an ongoing process.

Input should be sought from all of those involved and affected by the evaluation, such as students, parents, teachers, program staff, or community members. Evaluation results reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your program. The evaluation should not lead to the pronouncement of a definitive success or failure; it is only meant to show growth or provide steps for improvement. A good evaluation is one that can be replicated and can produce the same results.

Some Other Purposes for Program Evaluation

Better manage limited resources.

Document program accomplishments.

Justify current program funding.

Support the need for increased levels of funding.

Satisfy ethical responsibility to stakeholders to demonstrate positive and negative effects of program participation.

Communicating Evaluation Findings

Preparation, effective communication, and appropriateness of the evaluation findings cannot be ignored. Questions that the evaluation should answer include: what will be and should be communicated? Who is communicated to? Who is the communicator? How will communication be disseminated? The target audience must be pinpointed, and the written or verbal communication must address pertinent information using a simple language that is void of jargon and a user-friendly format. Communication of findings from the evaluation explains the process based only on the data.