My interest in and appreciation for program evaluation began in the early 1970's when conducting a curriculum development research project at the University of Florida's P. K. Y onge Laboratory School. This interest was sparked when it became apparent that testing the success of an education program required more skills than just statistics and research methods. After pursuing additional formal schooling, I embarked on a career featuring educational program evaluation as its central thrust--as a private consultant, later in a university health sciences center involving seven academic colleges, and then in the Cooperative Extension Services of Florida and Maryland. Adding evaluability assessment (EA) to the performance of evaluations, to program development, and to teaching about evaluation has been a significant development for me personally, and I hope to those who have been participants with me in each endeavor. This book grew out of many of these experiences and involved numerous colleagues who made significant contributions. First among these is Dr. George Mayeske, Program Evaluation Specialist, Extension Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. c
CONTENT
1 Introduction -- 2 Evaluability Assessment: Overview of Process -- 3 Determine Purpose, Secure Commitment, and Identify Work Group Members -- 4 Define Boundaries of Program to be Studied -- 5 Identify and Analyze Program Documents -- 6 Develop/Clarify Program Theory -- 7 Identify and Interview Stakeholders -- 8 Describe Stakeholder Perceptions of Program -- 9 Identify Stakeholder Needs, Concerns, and Differences in Perceptions -- 10 Determine Plausibility of Program Model -- 11 Draw Conclusions and Make Recommendations -- 12 Plan Specific Steps for Utilization of EA Data -- 13 Observations about the Process -- Appendix One The Cooperative Extension System -- Appendix Two Evaluability Assessment of the 4-H Youth Program, Maryland Cooperative Extension Service -- Appendix Three Evaluability Assessment of the Local Government Officials Program, Illinois Cooperative Extension Service -- Appendix Four Evaluability Assessment of the Master Gardener Program, California Cooperative Extension -- References
