Category Archives: program evaluation

Settling

Posted on by

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you have not found it yet, keep looking. Do not settle. ~~Steve Jobs.

Last week I wrote about an epiphany I had many years ago, one in which I did not settle. don't settle cropped

I made choices about the work I did. I made choices about the life I lived. I did not settle.

It is an easy life to “go with the flow”; to settle, if you will. Convenience is not always the best way even though it might be the easiest. Did I do great work? I don’t know. Did I hear stories of the work I did? I was told after the fact that I had made a difference because of the work I had done. Perhaps, making a difference is doing great work. Perhaps.

However, this quote from Steve Jobs reminded me that loving what one does is important, even if one does not do “great work”. If one does not love what one does, one needs to do what one loves.love Continue reading →

Purpose–we all need one.

Posted on by

The person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder. (Thomas Carlyle)

There is much written about finding your purpose Purpose if life.  Songs are written about purpose; self-help books are written about purpose; businesses are devoted to the concept; jewelry, leadership, among other things, all focus on purpose.

So how do you find purpose? How do you know what your are “supposed” to do in this life? How does that relate to evaluation? Finding your purpose can be really confusing. Purpose 2 Let me share a story with you.

I lived in Birmingham, AL in the 80s and 90s. Birmingham is the only place I have lived (and I’ve lived many places) where if you woke up on the first day of spring, EVERYTHING would be in bloom. Everything! In Oregon, spring creeps up on you (a wonderful experience, to be sure). In Minnesota, it feels like it is spring one day and summer the next (or if you are not lucky, winter, again). In Tucson, spring happens in February and if you blink you miss it (well, almost). So I was marveling one day around the first day of spring how wonderful life was and I had an epiphany. I conceptualized what were the three things I wanted to do in this life. I wanted to do good work. I wanted to be a good friend. I wanted to grow spiritually. (I knew that being a boss was not for me, even though it came with perks.)

I had just finished a doctoral program in program evaluation. I realized that I would be “in the trenches” a long time and would spend most of my career doing evaluation work (as opposed to teaching evaluation, researching evaluation, writing about evaluation). I saw that as my purpose. To do good work–good evaluation work.

So what does it mean to do “good evaluation work”? Continue reading →

Making a difference

Posted on by

We close every rehearsal and concert with the song, “Be the change”. Using the words from Gandhi, I try to remember to make a difference;difference 2 to be the change I want to see in the world.

That is not easy. I ride my bike all the time. (Yep. Really.) I compost. I grow my own vegetables in the summer and support my farmers’ market and CSA (both of which, thankfully, run through Thanksgiving). But I ask my self, “Am I making a difference?” make a difference Continue reading →

Evaluation Pioneers

Posted on by

Having written about evaluation history previously, I identified  those who contributed, not those who could be called evaluation pioneers; rather those who had influenced my thinking.  I think it is noteworthy to mention those evaluation pioneers who set the field on the path we see today, those whom I didn’t mention and need to be. As a memorial (it is Memorial Day weekend Memorial-Day-weekend, after all), Michael Patton (whom I’ve mentioned previously) is coordinating an AEA365 to identify and honor those evaluation pioneers who are no longer with us. (Thank you, Michael). The AEA365 link above will give you more details.  I’ve also linked the mentioned evaluation pioneers that have been remembered. Some of these pioneers I’ve mentioned before; all are giants in the field; some are dearly loved as well. All those listed below have died. Patton talks about the recent-dead, the sasha, and the long-dead, the zamani. He cites the Historian James W. Loewen when he makes this distinction. Some of the listed are definitely the sasha (for me); some are zamani (for me). Perhaps photos will help (for whom photos could be found) and dates. There are Continue reading →

Mistakes

Posted on by

Mistakes are a great educator when one is honest enough to admit them and willing to learn from them.

– Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Even after 30+ years of evaluation, I make mistakes mistakes3 . It may be a mistake that occurs in the planning and modeling; it may be a mistake that occurs in the implementation, monitoring, and delivery; or a mistake in data management (qualitative or quantitative); or more than likely, a mistake in the use of the findings. mistakes1

Probably the biggest mistake mistakes4I have ever made was making an assumption assumption at the planning stage. Continue reading →

Stand up

Posted on by

“Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.”

~~Maggie Kuhnmaggie_kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers, 1970 .

The Gray Panthersgray panthers is a group of people advocating for the rights of oldsters (among other things). Aging is the brunt of many jokes. At least in the US. Unfortunately.

A long time friend of mine says  aging. If you get there, it takes as long as it takes. (Some people say the years wiz by as the days drag on and on and on…I know this first hand.)

Another long time friend relayed the NPR story about aging, which says anchovies, rosemary, vino, and leisure are the answers. Now I’m not saying that anchovies, rosemary, vino, and leisure are the reason evaluation as a discipline has come as far as it has in the last 50+ years; I’m just saying that perhaps we need to look a little deeper than just the surface. I think Maggie Kuhn says it clearly:  “Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.”

Stand up for what you believe! (even if your voice shakes).

I believe that evaluation makes a difference.

I believe that there is a need for evaluation.

I believe that y’all do evaluation every day in the choices you make.choice

No one said making choices would be easy…even getting out of bed in the morning! If make a choice, you take a chance; if you take a chance your life will change. choice-3

So how will you stand up today? What choice will you make? Speak your mind unambiguously!

New Topic: I learned today that Will Shadish died on March 27, 2016.  sadish-2

Will was very active as a quantitative psychologist and an evaluator. We served AEA together.  I will miss him.

my two cents

molly.

 

 

Making a difference…again.

Posted on by

I am a social scientist. I look for the social in the science of what I do.

I am an evaluator as a social scientist. I want to determine the merit, worth, value of what I do. I want to know that the program I’m evaluating (or offering) made a difference. (After all, the root of evaluation is value.)

Keeping that in mind has resulted (over the years) in the comment, “no wonder she is the evaluator” when I ask an evaluative question. So I was surprised when I read a comment by a reader that implied that it didn’t matter. The reader said, “The ugly truth is, it does not matter if it makes a difference. Somewhere down the road someone will see your post and may be it will be useful for him.” (Now you must know that I’ve edited the comment, although the entire comment doesn’t support my argument:  Evaluators need to know if the program made a difference.)

So the thought occurred to me, what if it didn’t make a difference? What if the program has no value? No worth? No merit? What if by evaluating the program you find that it won’t be useful for the participant? What does that say about you as an evaluator? You as a program designer? You as an end user? Is it okay for the post to be useful “somewhere down the road”? Is blogging truly “a one way channel to transfer any information you have over the web.” How long can a social-scientist-always-looking-at-the-social continue to work when the information goes out and rarely comes back? I do not know. I do know that blogging is hard work. After six and one-half years of writing this blog almost weekly,  writer’s block is my constant companion.writers-block 2 (although being on a computer, I do not have a pile of paper, just blank screens). So I’m turning to you, readers:

Does it make a difference whether I write this blog or not?

Am I abdicating my role as an evaluator when I write the blog?

I don’t know. Over the years I have gotten some interesting comments (other than the “nice job” “keep up the work” types of comments). I will pause (not in my writing; I’ll continue to do that) and think about this. After all, I am an evaluator wanting to know what difference this program makes.

my two cents.

molly.

Evaluation use

Posted on by

Today, I’m going to talk about evaluation use that is, the using of evaluation findings. Now, Michael Patton Patton wrote the book (actually more than one) on the topic. Patton's utilization focused evaluation And I highly recommend that book (and the shorter version, Essentials of Utilization-Focused EvaluationEssentials of UFE [461 pages including the index as opposed to 667]).

I firmly believe that there is no point in conducting an evaluation if the final report of that evaluation sits on someone’s shelf and IS NEVER USED! Not just read (hopefully!), USED to make the program better. To make a difference.

Today, though, I want to talk about how that final report is put together. It doesn’t matter if it is an info-graphic, a dash-board, an executive summary, a 300-page document, it all has to be your best effort. So I want to talk about your best effort.

That best effort is accurate, not only reporting the findings, also the spelling, the grammar, the syntax.

For example: The word “data” is a plural word and takes a plural noun. Yep. Check the dictionary folks. Websters Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary says (under the entry data) plural of DATUM. (I’ll bet you didn’t know that the plural of OPUS is OPERA. Just another example of the peculiarities of the English language.) The take away here: When in doubt, check it out!

When I put together a final report (regardless of the format), I use the 5Cs as a guideline. (I also use it as a basis of reviewing manuscripts.) Those 5Cs are: Clarity. Coherence. Conciseness. Correctness. Consistency. Following the 5Cs results in a product in which I can be proud.

How do you use your evaluation report? Keep these things in mind!

my two cents

molly.

Gratitude

Posted on by

The Highest Appreciation

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

– John F. Kennedy

Gratitude must be a habit. Each day needs to be began and ended with gratefulness. Then if you can live by that gratefulness, you will utter the words and be grateful. That is what evaluation is all about–holding to the higher ground. Not just doing something to get it done; doing something (in this case the evaluation) because it is right as you know it today, in this moment, under these circumstances.

Doing evaluation just for the sake of evaluating, because it would be nice to know, is not the answer. Yes, it may be nice to know; does it make a difference? Does the program (policy, performance, product, project, etc.) make a difference in the lives of the participants. As a social scientist, it is important for me to look at the “social” side of what I do; that means dealing with people, the participants, you know the social part. I want to determine what the participants are thinking, feeling, doing. That means, I must  walk my talk. And be grateful.

 

There are lots of resources available that help the nascent evaluator do just that. My recommendation is to start with Jody Fitzpatrick’s volume fitzpatrick book 2. I would also check out the American Evaluation Association site. There is a lot of information available to non-members (becoming a member is worth the cost). Then depending on what you specifically want to know, let me know. I’ll suggest references to you.

my two cents

molly.