U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Did We Make a Difference?: Techniques and Process in Program Evaluation (From Drug-Free Youth, P 131-155, 1997, Elaine Norman, ed. - See NCJ-168217)

NCJ Number
168224
Author(s)
M Phillips
Date Published
1997
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This chapter reviews some of the issues involved in planning an evaluation.
Abstract
Evaluations can be designed to analyze the planning of a project, the structure of a program, the process by which services are delivered, the success of the program and the cost benefit of the program. Each of these questions is answered by a different source of data in a range of research approaches, all using standardized, replicable procedures. Evaluation is always done in a political context; outside evaluators can serve to guard against avoidable bias; and there is considerable value in the evaluator and service provider working together to develop both the program and the research. The chapter provides details on: use of an outside evaluator; formulative evaluations; the classical experiment; need for comparison groups; matching; measuring change; use of pretest data; identification of service provided; defining program objectives; program evaluation; service outcome linkage; what should be measured; testing the achievement of outcomes; use of statistical tests; and writing the final report. Charts, references