LESSONS :: PARTNERS :: RESOURCES :: EVALUATIONS

In two separate projects basic evaluation training was provided to multiple staff members with direct service delivery responsibility (e.g., program managers) in four organizations that had already participated in comprehensive (18 months+) evaluation training programs (see Evaluation Support Project and Anchoring Evaluation Capacity project reports). Participants included the Executive Directors of each organization and staff who had been involved in the long-term training, as well as those who had never participated in evaluation training.

The Evaluation Support and Anchoring Projects helped participants refresh or learn new skills and enhance organization-wide evaluative thinking as well. In both projects, the training included instruction and activities addressing basic evaluation planning (evaluation questions, stakeholders, designs), evaluation logic (outcomes, indicators, targets), and a session dedicated to data analysis.

• For the Evaluation Support Project, participants engaged in a group survey analysis project devised by the trainer where they developed code books and analysis plans and practiced analyzing a set of surveys according to their plans.
• For the Anchoring Project, organizations identified an analysis project of interest to them and selected specific tools to accomplish their work. These included construction and use of an electronic survey (including instrument development, administration and analysis plan development and target setting, launch and bivariate analysis of results); development and analysis of a multi-year client intake database using SPSS (including record review to collect data, conversion of files from Excel to SPSS and bivariate analysis of intake and placement trends); development and analysis of a master, unit-record database, in Excel (including single file construction from multiple survey, observation and attendance databases).