NCJ Number
181250
Date Published
1999
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The Bureau of Justice Assistance's (BJA's) Evaluation Web Site is committed to building State and local evaluation capacity; the BJA will continue to develop the Evaluation Web Site to meet the needs of criminal justice planners and practitioners well into the 21st century.
Abstract
In 1997 BJA formed a cooperative agreement with the Justice Research and Statistics Association to create an evaluation web site. A planning group of evaluation experts, State planners, and local program managers was appointed as an advisor by BJA to assist with the planning and development of the web site. When concluded, the framework for the web site included an "electronic roadmap for evaluation," evaluation resources, frequently asked questions, State and local evaluation reports, a site map, a glossary of evaluation terms, and a means to contact BJA. On August 5, 1998, the BJA Evaluation Web Site came "on line" for use, and it has continued to expand its materials and links to other relevant sites in order to provide State and local evaluators the fullest range of resources for their efforts. The Electronic Roadmap for Evaluation provides a "geographic" tour of the evaluation enterprise. Beginning with an overview of why evaluation is done, the "map" takes the user through four "States" with increasing complexity of evaluation questions and techniques: Introduction and Orientation, Basic Fundamentals, Beyond the Basics, and Useful Resources for Evaluation. The latter "State" reprises the glossary, State and local reports, and important links to other sites found in other components of the web site. The Resources section of the web site directs users to a variety of other sources to assist their searches for evaluation information. Under the State and Local Reports section, the user will find the most recent State Annual Reports as well as the two volumes of the series "State and Local Program: Focus on What Works". The Glossary features hundreds of terms commonly found in the evaluation literature. The BJA Evaluation Web Site is a product of the latest in Internet technology and will be kept up-to-date with advancements in the field in order to ensure the best service to the State and local practitioners and evaluators who have come to depend on it. The planning group continues to meet regularly to review and improve the site and to suggest means to update and enhance its capabilities. This report also contains statistics on the use of the web site during 1998-99 as well as a profile of the users. 2 figures