The teaching-family model: Research and dissemination in a service program

The Teaching-Family Model serves as an example of how research can be used as feedback to change a residential treatment program for youths. Further, research can serve to modify training and evaluation of the program as well. The feedback loop established by continual research and evaluation serves to improve program quality, thus facilitating dissemination as the model is adopted by more agencies.From 1967 to 1980, the Teaching-Family Model expanded from one group home in Kansas to more than 150 homes across the United States. Through both successes and failures, proponents of the Teaching-Family Model learned that research and evaluation can and must be a part of the treatment delivery system rather than an occasional adjunct.     

Evaluation readiness: improved evaluation planning using a data inventory framework

Factors intrinsic to many programs, such as ambiguously stated objectives, inadequately defined performance measures, and incomplete or unreliable databases, often conspire to limit the evaluability of these programs. Current evaluation planning approaches are somewhat constrained in their ability to overcome these obstacles and to achieve full preparedness for evaluation. In this paper, the concept of evaluation readiness is introduced as a complement to other evaluation planning approaches, most notably that of evaluability assessment. The basic products of evaluation readiness--the formal program definition and the data inventory framework--are described, along with a guide for assuring more timely and appropriate evaluation response capability to support the decision making needs of program managers. The utility of evaluation readiness for program planning, as well as for effective management, is also discussed.     

An evaluator of the future

For the evaluator who is part of the management of a human service organization, future expectations will be more demanding than at present. Operating staff, managers, and funders will already be familiar with the methods and the usefulness of capable program evaluation. Improved information tools will help the evaluator meet this challenge, by keeping the organization visible and manageable. A more fundamental change will be an improved “language of accountability”. Program standards, accreditation, and review now focus on structure and process characteristics. What is emerging is a growing consensus on definitions of client problems and program objectives in relation to these problems. This consensus spurs psychometric research on measures of problems and of the attainment of program objectives. Dependable, standard measures and meaningful comparative data will make the evaluation of program effectiveness possible.     

On participant-observation as a component of evaluation. Strategies, constraints and issues

Described here is a participant-observation strategy employed as one portion of the evaluation research at Family House, a residential treatment program for alcoholic mothers and their children. Major objectives of this leg of a two-legged research design combining this approach with a more standard pre- and post-test strategy were to document and analyze the processes of social development in the new "small society." The ethnographer acted as consultant, with "raw data" generated in the form of daily observations dictated on the rotating basis by staff members over a two-year period. The resulting narrative was coded and analyzed by the anthropologist, utilizing a phenomenological or interpretationist perspective which allowed the "native categories" of significance to emerge and guide the analysis. This novel research strategy is compared with standard ethnographic fieldwork, as well as with pre- and post-test design, in terms of its strengths and weaknesses. Strengths include access to an authentic "inside view" of Family House reality, as well as an unusually rich longitudinal record of daily life in the facility. Problems include danger of contaminating the data by means of the "feedback" provided to reward staff for their cooperation in the research effort. The author concludes, however, that since reactive effects are present in all designs, and since "feedback" is a normal feature of therapeutic milieux, validity is not unusually threatened. Finally, the purposes of evaluation research are scrutinized.     

Applicability of multiple matrix sampling to estimating effectiveness of educational programs

When evaluating the effectiveness of an educational program, a sampling strategy known as “multiple matrix sampling” is particularly effective and efficient when the goal of the evaluation is estimating group (as opposed to individual) performance. Although this technique involves sampling both program participants and items and, subsequently, different participants being assessed over different sets of items, the results may be used to estimate those which would have been obtained had all participants been administered all items. The technique is here described in some detail, with advantages and disadvantages discussed, and examples of its application are given.     

Evaluating a management and organization development effort in mental health agencies.

Although the use of management and organization development techniques in health and human service settings is increasing, there are few systematic studies of their effects. Those which do exist are problematic in many respects. An 18-month program incorporating both management and organization development is described along with the results of its evaluation, which were positive and well-utilized. A discussion of the methods employed, the problems encountered, and the outcomes obtained illustrates that these evaluation efforts are needed and can be useful to program evaluators involved in planned-change efforts.     

Experimental and contextual models of program evaluation

Evaluation research is one of the most rapidly evolving fields of applied behavioral science. As demand for program assessment has increased, the number of alternative evaluation approaches has also grown. As a result, everyday practitioners have often lacked sufficient guidelines for the choice of appropriate evaluation strategies.The present paper articulates an underlying epistemological distinction between (a) experimental evaluation models which simplify program realities in generalizable analyses of discrete causes and effects, and (b) contextual evaluation models which holistically examine particular program operations. These two evaluation approaches are directed at different purposes and are applicable to different program settings. A topology of program characteristics (breadth of goals, scope of treatment, specificity of results, and clarity of theory) is developed and linked to the appropriateness of experimental and contextual evaluation.     

Designing useful evaluations: The stakeholder survey

The failure of program evaluations to provide policy decision-makers with useful information is a familiar complaint. This paper discusses an approach towards designing and implementing more useful evaluations — the stakeholder survey. Stakeholders are individuals, or groups, who have a direct interest in the program being evaluated. The central premise of the paper is that the information needs of stakeholders should be incorporated directly into the formulation of evaluation objectives, and the design of the evaluation to achieve those objectives. The paper presents a rationale for the stakeholder survey, describes its major components, and reports on the application of the approach in a large program evaluation. Key issues involved in applying the approach are also considered. The evidence from this study suggests that such surveys are not only feasible, but also of considerable value to the evaluation team.     

A response to the BPA evaluation plan: Some modest but utilitarian considerations

In response to the complex and expensive Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) evaluation plan, this article attempts to identify some pragmatic issues and alternative approaches to conservation program evaluation. In particular, the need for simpler, lower-cost evaluation options and the importance of process evaluation to program management are emphasised. This is followed by the delineation of several key principles to be observed in conducting a more modest, but still methodologically sound and managerially useful, evaluation of energy conservation programs.     

Evaluation in the community mental health centers program: A bold new reproach?

The Federal Community Mental Health Centers Program (CMHC)-from 1963 to 1981-was heralded as a revolution in mental health care. Championed by many, and severely criticized by others, the actual impact of the program on the nation's mental health remains unclear. The authorization to evaluate the CMHC Program came originally from congressional legislation (PL 90-174), and later from the policies and regulations of NIMH under a series of Federal laws, notably PL 94-63. From 1976-1980, two dominant evaluation strategies were prevalent: funds expended by NIMH each year for studies of CMHC services or program-wide evaluations, and a much larger expenditure by CMHCs to conduct their own, independent evaluations following federal guidelines. As the Center's Program was turned over to the states in the form of block grants (PL 97-35), a group of professionals involved with setting and carrying out federal CMHC evaluation policy of both varieties met in public forum to debate the impact of these two evaluation approaches. While some participants cited gains in evaluation technology and impact upon local management of CMHCs, others found the lack of a coordinated and systematic approach to evaluating the CMHC Program to have been an opportunity missed. The impact of CMHC evaluation efforts are also discussed in terms of their major contribution to the field of evaluation research as a whole.     

Triangulation in practice

An evaluation study was designed using a between-method triangulation strategy. Two study teams gathered and analyzed data about the effectiveness of a formal process for long range program planning. One team used a mail questionnaire and the other, on-site open-ended interviews. Initial plans for coordination between the two teams were misguided and, fortunately, were subverted during data collection and analysis. The evaluation strategy and its derailment are discussed in terms of the purposes of triangulation and the forces that work against sensible intentions for coordination in multimethod studies.     

Enhancing program review for evaluation and management

Program review has not received the attention it warrants as a program evaluation tool despite its wide use for evaluation and management purposes. The use of the program review will probably endure on the strength of its face validity and irrespective of other developments in the field of program evaluation. Evaluators should realize this and, accordingly, attempt to improve its effectiveness. This paper presents one organization's approach to achieving this objective through the explication of development principles, implementation guidelines and review items. This paper also discusses benefits that can be expected from a systematic development of this tool and presents various research directions and potentials in this area.     

Organizing evaluation to serve the needs of program planners and managers

Evaluation is often both conceptually and functionally separate from program planning and operations management. Though program managers may not see themselves as served well by the work of evaluation staffs, there are a number of potentially beneficial side effects to be realized from close collaboration between program administrators and evaluators. These flow only when the evaluation task is broadly defined and when both administrators and evaluators recognize their interdependence. Particular functional benefits to management from evaluation are described. Characteristics of interorganizational relations which might increase the probability of their attainment are then outlined and discussed.     

The use of metaevaluation to plan evaluations of conservation programs

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring and will be required to evaluate a wide range of conservation programs. The development of evaluation plans for such programs can often be improved by reviewing evaluations that have been done on similar programs. The Residential Conservation Service (RCS), sponsored by DOE, is discussed as an example of how conducting metaevaluations can improve evaluation planning. Many utilities have sponsored programs that are similar to the RCS. A review of the utility program evaluations suggested key methodological issues and data problems that should be considered in the development of an RCS evaluation plan. The implications of these metaevaluation findings for an RCS evaluation plan are discussed.     

Dealing with unknown variables in policy/program evaluation

A leading objection to the feasibility of applying benefit-cost analysis in evaluation is that one often cannot know the benefits, the costs, or the probabilities of their occurring for a given proposal. Threshold analysis involves handling unknown variables by converting relevant evaluation problems into questions as to whether a given benefit, cost, probability, or combination of these elements is more or less than a threshold. Above the threshold, the proposed program would be relatively profitable; and below the threshold, it would be relatively unprofitable. Applying that analysis may require the drawing of simple graphs to stimulate the minds of knowledgeable persons as to the range of the actual benefits, costs or probabilities. The approach can be applied when the benefits or the costs are either monetary or nonmonetary, and when the problems involve either go/no-go decisions or conflicting-choice decisions.     

The use of evaluation models for decision making: Application to the community anti-crime program

Evaluations are typically designed to provide useful information, including measures of program effectiveness. Although this information is intended to be useful, the general literature on evaluations suggests that instances in which evaluations are explicitly used for decision making are rare. This article discusses the use of decision-theoretic evaluation models, and their applicability in practice as well as in principle. A case study is presented from the evaluation of LEAA's Community Anti-Crime Program, in which a decision analysis based on a decision-theoretic evaluation model influenced a programmatic decision which arose during the conduct of the evaluation.     

Developmental trends in program evaluation

It is suggested that the ontogeny of program evaluators replicates the phytogeny of the profession of program evaluation. A trend across the purposes of program evaluation from program amelioration to program advocacy and ultimately to program accountability is projected.     

Resolving conflicting demands on evaluation: A test demonstration of videotex for farmers

Evaluating an innovation for federal, state, and local policymakers and program managers alike entails conflicting demands on the evaluation study. Policymakers at federal, state, and local levels are best assisted by impact evaluations, whereas state and local program managers are best assisted by process evaluations. In-house evaluators often have an advantage in conducting process evaluations; external evaluators generally have an advantage in conducting impact evaluations. A cost-effective approach may be to combine in-house process evaluation and external impact evaluation. This dual approach was found to reduce conflicting demands on the evaluation of an experimental videotex system for agricultural producers.     

Systems engineering: A problem-solving approach to improving program performance

Evaluation methodologies have generally emphasized the measurement and assessment of program merit, as reflected by the achievement of program objectives. Less attention has been devoted to analyzing and explaining the reasons for deficient performance and, more importantly, what needs to be modified to improve performance. While evaluators do identify performance problems, the identified problems are not always analyzed. Consequently, the information reported to decision makers may be incomplete, inconclusive, and of limited utility in the decision-making process. This article describes an evaluation methodology based on problem solving techniques which can be effective and efficient in defining and analyzing problems which impair program performance. The model can be applied in evaluations where the purpose is to provide decision makers with information and recommendations to improve program performance and provide an alternative to those evaluation models which emphasize the assessment of program merit. The model also provides a potentially unique cost/benefit methodology for estimating the potential worth of improving program performance (i.e., solving the problem).