It can be overwhelming to think about data and program evaluation. When venturing into this territory it’s only natural to have questions. Where should we begin? What should we measure? How can we find meaning in our data? In the first blog of our five-part series, Conquering
Read more →Recently, I traveled for the first time to Canada. I’ve been out of the country before, but I’m not a frequent international traveler. On this particular trip, I was on my own and therefore freed of certain worries, such as where I’d stashed my son’s passport or
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Someone remarked to me the other day, “Oh, I think measurement is great; it helps a lot of companies figure out what they are doing well and not so well and helps them plan, but I’m not sure I understand how it can help us.” I thought
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I just recently came across a post that I wrote about a year ago for the American Evaluation Association’s AEA 365 A Tip-A-Day by and for Evaluators blog. If you have any interest in evaluation or measurement-related issues, the Tip-A-Day series is an excellent resource that chock-full
Read more →Just this week, I discovered a fantastic new resource for program evaluators, or anyone else who geeks out on real-world research like me. Eval Central is the place “Where Evaluation Blogs Intersect”, including great contributors such as the American Evaluation Association, EvalThoughts, and Evaluation Unsanctioned, as well
Read more →In 2013, I had the honor of attending the National Association of Drug Court Professionals Annual Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. If you’re not familiar with drug courts, I encourage you to learn about them. They provide an innovative and intensive approach blending clinical treatment with criminal justice for
Read more →In the nearly twenty years that I’ve been an evaluator, there’s one reason I hear over and over again for why some nonprofits (and other organizations) shy away from program evaluation: “Oh, we don’t need to do an evaluation. We know we’re doing great things!” My reply
Read more →As an evaluator, I’m often faced with the following question. “I want to be able to demonstrate my results because I think we’re doing great things, but…what if the news is bad?” Let’s imagine, for instance, that children in elementary school don’t receive grades for reading. When
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