The Data Collection and Program Evaluation Toolbox - One Small Step for Your Organization, One Giant Leap for Afterschool!
Please CLICK HERE for the Data Collection and Program Evaluation Toolbox
Everyone’s talking about program evaluation these days. In the world of afterschool, terms like “accountability,” “effectiveness,” “performance management,” “results,” “outcomes,” and lots of others are tossed about almost daily. Let’s face it; the emphasis on program evaluation is more than just a fad. It’s the new normal. And if you haven’t already given it some thought, maybe now’s the time.
Evaluation - It’s Not Just for The Pros Anymore
That said, we’ve got some good news. Thanks to the ambitious efforts of a handful of afterschool programs here in the Pittsburgh area, you don’t have to go it alone. During the first half of 2012 the Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST), with assistance from The Forbes Funds, Rondout Consulting and 3rc, will be releasing a series of toolkits designed to help your program design and put in place a process for data collection and program evaluation.
Whether you’re a big agency or a small one, a school-based program or a community-based program, an academically-focused program or an enrichment program, the Data Collection and Program Evaluation Toolbox will help you craft the tools and methods that fit your organization’s unique approach.
What’s In This Toolbox?
Well, tools, of course! That’s why we call it a Toolbox! By working with eight separate afterschool programs from the Pittsburgh area, we’ve learned a lot about how to make program evaluation useful (and doable) for your program. We’ve collected all of the materials, resources, and lessons-learned from our work with these pilot agencies into a series of four toolkits, each focused on one important step along the way to greater awareness of what works and why.
• The Implementation Planning and Preparation Toolkit sets the stage by clarifying the outcomes (or goals) you want your students to achieve, explaining how data collection fits in, and helping you translate your goals to measurable indicators that you can evaluate.
• The Data Collection Toolkit guides you in the selection or development of tools that your program can use to collect the data you’ll need in order to measure the impact you’re having on your students.
• The Data Tracking and Evaluation Toolkit helps you interpret your outcome data, over time, to show how your work with students translates into tangible results.
• The Program Design and Improvement Toolkit gives you some concrete ideas for putting your evaluation data to use within your program. Sure, funders will love that you have data on your impact, but the real benefit comes from knowing yourself how and where to work toward improving your program.
How Does It Work?
During Spring 2012, we’ll be rolling out the toolkits and seeking agencies who are interested in using them to increase their capacity for data collection and program evaluation. No toolbox alone can give you everything you need in order to fully embrace a results-driven program model, though. So, the toolbox will be supplemented with technical assistance and training provided by APOST and its partner organizations. More details will be provided as the toolbox is rolled-out. If you’re interested, let us know and we’ll notify you when the toolbox is launched.
For more information and any questions, please contact Vivien Luk at luk@forbesfunds.org
