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
Read more →Archive for the Measurement Methods Category
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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