NCJ Number
61316
Date Published
1977
Length
202 pages
Annotation
ASPECTS OF EVALUATION AND MONITORING OF RUNAWAY AND YOUTH SERVICE PROGRAMS ARE CONSIDERED.
Abstract
MONITORING IS DESCRIBED AS A MEASUREMENT OF WHAT THE PROGRAM DID, WHILE EVALUATION IS DESCRIBED AS A MEASUREMENT OF WHAT THE PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHED. FOUR AREAS OF MONITORING ARE OUTLINED - PROGRAM, RESOURCE, ACTIVITY, AND CLIENT. THERE ARE TWO FRAMES --FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE-- IN WHICH EVALUATION TAKES PLACE. WITHIN THESE, THE EVALUATION OF PROGRAM OUTPUTS AND ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS CAN BE PERFORMED. VARIOUS EVALUATION AND MONITORING TECHNIQUES AND MODELS ARE DETAILED, GUIDELINES FOR A PROGRAM EVALUATOR TO FOLLOW WHEN DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING AN EVALUATION SYSTEM FOR RUNAWAY AND YOUTH SERVICE AGENCIES ARE PRESENTED, AND STEPS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EVALUATION SYSTEM ARE GIVEN. MOST EVALUATION PLANS CONTAIN INDICES OF PROGRAM OUTCOME, CLIENT FEEDBACK DATA, PROCESS AND PERFORMANCE CRITERIA, AND ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES, AND MOST PROGRAMS CAN EXPECT TO PAY BETWEEN $1,500 AND $15,000 A YEAR FOR A REASONABLE LEVEL OF EVALUATION ACTIVITY. THE ARTICLE ALSO EXAMINES BARRIERS TO THE USE OF EVALUATION RESULTS. APPENDICES CONTAIN MATERIAL FROM THE MICHIGAN COALITION OF RUNAWAY SERVICES UNIFORM REPORTING SYSTEM, AN INFORMATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT FORM, A CLIENT AND SERVICE TYPOLOGY, EVALUATION PLANNING FORMS, AND INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW IN THE SELECTION OF APPROPRIATE STATISTICS. A SELECTED LIST OF REFERENCES IS GIVEN. (MJW)