There is no better way to get started with an evaluation than to develop an evaluation plan. Good evaluation planning involves identifying who the key audiences for the evaluation findings include, posing relevant and useful evaluation questions, and using evaluation measures and designs that will answer those questions to the satisfaction of key stakeholders. This article outlines some ideas on how to go about doing this work and discusses some of the broader issues relevant to the evaluation’s (and the program’s) success.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Argyris, C., Putnam, R., & Smith, D. M. (1990). Action science. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
2.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1999). Framework for program evaluation in public health. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 48(RR-11), 1-41.
3.
Fawcett, S. B., Francisco, V. T., Paine-Andrews, A., Lewis, R. K., Richter, K. P., Harris, K. J., Williams, E. L., Berkley, J. Y., Schultz, J. A., Fisher, J. L., & Lopez, C. M. (1993). Work group evaluation handbook: Evaluating and supporting community initiatives for health and development. Lawrence: Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development, University of Kansas.
4.
Fawcett, S. B., Francisco, V. T., Paine-Andrews, A., & Schultz, J. A. (in press). Working together for healthier communities: A research-based memorandum of collaboration. Public Health Reports.
5.
Fawcett, S. B., Sterling, T. D., Paine-Andrews, A., Harris, K. J., Francisco, V. T., Richter, K. P., Lewis, R. K., & Schmid, T. L. (1995). Evaluating community efforts to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
6.
Fetterman, D. M. (1996). Empowerment evaluation: An introduction to theory and practice. In D. M. Fetterman, S. J. Kaftarian, & A. Wandersman (Eds.), Empowerment evaluation: Knowledge and tools for self-assessment and accountability (pp. 3-46). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
7.
Francisco, V. T., Fawcett, S. B., Paine, A. L. (1993). A method for monitoring and evaluating community coalitions. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 8, 403-416.
8.
Green, L. W., & Kreuter, M. W. (1991). Evaluation and the accountable practitioner. In Health promotion planning (2nd ed., pp. 215-260). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.
9.
Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. (1994). The program evaluation standards. Evaluation Practice, 15, 334-336.
10.
Linney, J. A., & Wandersman, A. (1991). Prevention plus III: A four-step guide to useful program assessment. Rockville, MD: Department of Health and Human Services.