The African Evaluation Guidelines: 2002. A checklist to assist in planning evaluations, negotiating clear contracts, reviewing progress and ensuring adequate completion of an evaluation

A review of the US ‘program evaluation standards’ (PES), undertaken in a series of workshops and meetings of networks of evaluators in Africa, resulted in modifications to those standards. The result was presented to a plenary session of the Inaugural Conference of the African Evaluation Association in September 1999, attended by over 300 evaluators from 35 countries. The AfrEA Conference decided that a systematic effort should be made to produce a list of African evaluation guidelines, similar to the PES, and that this checklist should be reviewed by national evaluation associations and networks in Africa and field tested in several countries. Ten national and regional networks and associations suggested modifications to the text and endorsed the final version of the guidelines.     

Preparing Parents for Adoption: An Agency Experience

To prepare for the complexities of family formation, 78 prospective adoptive parents participated in Pre-Adopt, a psychosocial educational orientation program offered by one private nonprofit agency. The five-session curriculum included an overview of adoption policies and procedures, discussion of the child placement process, exploration of couples' adoption concerns and expectations about child characteristics, information about adoption laws and birth-parent/child searches, and examination of anticipatory fantasies about birth parents. Program evaluation yielded statistically significant and clinically meaningful findings about changes in emotional readiness to adopt, parenting knowledge, and satisfaction with group participation, adoption policies and agency practices. Practice implications are considered.     

国际合作计划生育结合项目与社区发展——云南罗平县结合项目实践的分析

根据云南省罗平县结合项目实施情况的实地考察,从社区发展方法的视角,对项目实施过程中的社区宣传、社区组织、资金筹措、效果评估和基层总体项目管理能力等方面进行了分析.     

国际经济比较中量值统一的价值尺度————剖析联合国ICP方法的缺陷

 对经济成果综合比较的同度量尺度,明确了科学性和统一性的内容与要求.科学性在于要有明确的经济意义,统一性在于国际间使用的价值尺度必须标准相同.通过比较,指出了ICP法的缺陷是意义不明确,尺度不统一,其原因是偏离了卡塞尔的思路.     

回报计划感知价值及其与计划忠诚和品牌忠诚的关系研究

目前,客户回报计划已成为一种重要的关系营销手段,相关问题也开始引起学术界的关注。本文研究了回报计划的不同形式是如何影响客户对计划的感知价值的,同时回报计划的感知价值又是如何影响计划忠诚和品牌忠诚的,并且在研究的过程中考虑了产品或服务对客户涉入度的调节作用。结果显示,仅回报类型对计划感知价值的影响受到涉入度的调节,强涉入度下直接回报优于间接回报;而回报时间和回报额度对计划感知价值的影响不受涉入度的调节,延迟回报和差额回报优于立即回报和等额回报。同时,在强涉入度情况下,回报计划的感知价值通过直接和间接两务途径影响品牌忠诚;而在低涉入度争件下,回报计划感知价值对品牌忠诚没有直接影响,而是通过计划忠诚间接影响品牌忠诚。     

Costs of promoting cancer screening: Evidence from CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP)

The Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) provided funding to 29 grantees to increase colorectal cancer screening. We describe the screening promotion costs of CRCCP grantees to evaluate the extent to which the program model resulted in the use of funding to support interventions recommended by the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide). We analyzed expenditures for screening promotion for the first three years of the CRCCP to assess cost per promotion strategy, and estimated the cost per person screened at the state level based on various projected increases in screening rates. All grantees engaged in small media activities and more than 90% used either client reminders, provider assessment and feedback, or patient navigation. Based on all expenditures, projected cost per eligible person screened for a 1%, 5%, and 10% increase in state-level screening proportions are $172, $34, and $17, respectively. CRCCP grantees expended the majority of their funding on Community Guide recommended screening promotion strategies but about a third was spent on other interventions. Based on this finding, future CRC programs should be provided with targeted education and information on evidence-based strategies, rather than broad based recommendations, to ensure that program funds are expended mainly on evidence-based interventions.     

Evaluation of a multi-site program designed to strengthen relational bonds for siblings separated by foster care

Sibling relationships in foster care settings have received increased attention in recent years. Despite growing evidence regarding the protective potential of sibling relationships for youth in care, some sibling groups continue to experience foster care related separation, and few programs exist to address the needs of these youth.This study describes and evaluates Camp To Belong, a multi-site program designed to provide short-term reunification to separated sibling groups through a week-long summer camp experience. Using a pre-test post-test survey design, this paper examines changes in youth ratings of sibling conflict and sibling support across camps located in six geographically distinct regions of the United States. The effects of youth age, number of prior camp exposures, and camp location were tested using multilevel modeling procedures.Findings suggest that participation in Camp To Belong may reduce sibling conflict, and improvements in sibling support are noted for youth who have had prior exposure to the camp’s programming. Camp-level variance in the sibling support outcome highlight the complex nature of relationships for siblings separated by foster care, and suggest the need for additional research. Lessons learned from this multi-site evaluation and future directions are discussed.     

How and why are Theory of Change and Realist Evaluation used in food security contexts? A scoping review

The complex ways in which food security actions lead to nutrition and other health outcomes make it important to clarify what programs work and how, with theory-driven evaluation emerging as a promising approach to evaluate complex programs. However, it is unclear how and why theory-driven evaluation is applied in food security contexts. Our objective is to examine the development and use of Theory of Change and Realist Evaluation to support food security programs globally. Using a systematic search and screening process, we included studies that described a food security program, used a Theory of Change or Realist Evaluation, and presented original research or evaluations. We found a total of 59 relevant Theory of Change studies and eight Realist Evaluation studies. Based on our analysis, Theories of Change arose in response to three main problems: 1) the need to evaluate under complexity; 2) challenges with evaluation; and, 3) information gaps surrounding a program. In contrast, Realist Evaluation was reported to be developed primarily to understand a program’s outcomes. Reflecting on the problem to be addressed in the evaluation would help improve understandings of the evaluation context, which would then inform the choice and design of an evaluation approach.     

HIPPY计划：“以家庭为中心”的澳大利亚学前教育

1969年Avima Lombard教授和她的团队在耶路撒冷希伯来大学创立了HIPPY学前教育项目，此后在多个国家内得到推行，文章主要介绍HIPPY计划在澳大利亚的开展情况。1998年HIPPY计划进入澳大利亚，2007年澳大利亚政府意识到该项目的潜力，于是介入HIPPY计划当中并开展了一系列推进行动。澳大利亚政府对HIPPY理念的认同和创新及其全面成熟的运作体系，可为现阶段我国大力推广学前教育提供适合的国际项目经验。     

卓越教师培养的有效探索——我国台湾地区“卓越师资培育奖学金计划”述评及启示

当前国际教师教育改革转为以卓越为取向的发展趋势。我国台湾地区的"少子化"问题引发了该区域师资供需失调的矛盾，同时多元化的师资培育模式又导致教师素质不断下降。在此背景下，2006年我国台湾地区推行"卓越师资培育奖学金计划"。该计划旨在提升师资培育过程质量、加强绩效管理、建立完善的奖励与竞争机制，通过实现优胜劣汰来保障实施该计划的各院校取得成效。经过试行与正式实施，该计划的成效整体良好。"卓越师资培育奖学金计划"对新时代卓越教师培养具有一定的借鉴意义，如以奖励与竞争的方式优化卓越师资结构、建立卓越教师培养计划退场机制、改革高校教师教育培养模式，等等。