NCJ Number
212429
Date Published
August 2005
Length
105 pages
Annotation
This workbook for organizations that have received grants under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA) provides guidance for the rationale, design, and implementation of an evaluation of their program.
Abstract
After explaining why program evaluation is important, the workbook discusses issues to be addressed prior to designing an evaluation; namely, how to protect the confidentiality and safety of the people who provide information for the evaluation, how to be respectful to clients when collecting and using information, and how to deal with diversity in the evaluation plan. This is followed by a description of a process evaluation, which assesses what the program is doing as well as how and why it is being done, along with who is receiving services, how much they are receiving, the degree to which stakeholders are satisfied, and how the program's operation might be improved. The workbook then explains the features of an outcome evaluation, which assesses program impact, i.e., what occurred as a result of the program. It advises that outcomes must be measurable, realistic, and philosophically linked to program activities. Next, various means of collecting information on evaluation measures are described, followed by guidance on analyzing and interpreting the evaluation findings. Other sections of the workbook discuss the relationship of program staff with a professional researcher who is employed to evaluate a program, how to use evaluation findings to benefit the program, and the content of a report on evaluation findings. Resources included in the workbook are materials for overhead projection in presenting material from the workbook, sample evaluation tools, additional reading, Internet Web addresses, a glossary of terms, and handouts for workshop participants.