"Program evaluation is a systematic method for collecting, analyzing, and using information to answer questions about projects, policies and programs, particularly about their effectiveness and efficiency."
The skills necessary to develop and manage social service programs, including grant writing, budgeting, and program evaluation.
Assessment: The process of gathering information about an individual or group's needs, strengths, and resources.
Grant Writing: The process of developing a proposal to request funding for a project from various sources such as private foundations, government agencies, or corporations.
Budgeting: The process of planning and managing financial resources for a program or organization.
Evaluation: The process of measuring the effectiveness of a program or intervention using various methods such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups.
Community Organizing: The process of bringing people together to work towards a common goal or social change in their community.
Collaboration: The process of working together with other agencies, organizations, or stakeholders towards a common goal.
Curriculum Development: The process of designing and implementing a structured program of educational courses or activities.
Policy Analysis: The process of examining and evaluating the effects and implications of social policies on individuals and communities.
Strategic Planning: The process of creating a long-term plan for a program or organization to achieve its goals and objectives.
Program Implementation: The process of putting a program into action by designing, organizing, and managing its activities and resources.
"To some degree, program evaluation falls under traditional cost–benefit analysis, concerning fair returns on the outlay of economic and other assets; however, social outcomes can be more complex to assess than market outcomes, and a different skillset is required."
"Considerations include how much the program costs per participant, program impact, how the program could be improved, whether there are better alternatives, if there are unforeseen consequences, and whether the program goals are appropriate and useful."
"Best practice is for the evaluation to be a joint project between evaluators and stakeholders."
"A wide range of different titles are applied to program evaluators... Program Analysts, Program Assistants, Program Clerks (United Kingdom), Program Support Specialists, or Program Associates, Program Coordinators."
"Evaluation became particularly relevant in the U.S. in the 1960s during the period of the Great Society social programs associated with the Kennedy and Johnson administrations."
"Extraordinary sums were invested in social programs, but the impacts of these investments were largely unknown."
"People who do program evaluation come from many different backgrounds, such as sociology, psychology, economics, social work, as well as political science subfields such as public policy and public administration."
"Some universities also have specific training programs, especially at the postgraduate level in program evaluation, for those who studied an undergraduate subject area lacking in program evaluation skills."
"Program evaluations can involve both quantitative and qualitative methods of social research."
"Stakeholders might be required to assess—under law or charter—or want to know whether the programs they are funding, implementing, voting for, receiving or opposing are producing the promised effect."
"Evaluators help to answer these questions."
"The process of evaluation is considered to be a relatively recent phenomenon. However, planned social evaluation has been documented as dating as far back as 2200 BC."
"...to answer questions about projects, policies and programs, particularly about their effectiveness and efficiency."
"Social outcomes can be more complex to assess than market outcomes, and a different skillset is required."
"...how the program could be improved, whether there are better alternatives..."
"Considerations include how much the program costs per participant... concerning fair returns on the outlay of economic and other assets."
"If there are unforeseen consequences..."
"Best practice is for the evaluation to be a joint project between evaluators and stakeholders."
"...whether the program goals are appropriate and useful."