A Review of Grey and Academic Literature on Program Evaluations for Public, Private, and Nonprofit Sector Agency Use
Disciplines
Social Work
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Decision-makers, community members, and the general public want to ensure that programs are accomplishing their established purpose. Many methods can achieve this; however, the most effective way is through program evaluations. While there is plenty of information regarding program evaluations, little information is offered on what a program evaluation is from both a practitioner and an academic standpoint. This is essential information for organizations planning to have a successful program evaluation. We use Welcoming America, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization engaged in a community-university partnership by launching the One Region Initiative in 2018. The national pilot is an effort to increase local immigrant integration efforts throughout the region. After two years of investment in this work, a formal evaluation is being initiated. However, before engaging in the evaluation process, the steering committee for this initiative, who are members from all sectors, need to have a shared understanding of what evaluation is. Thus, the purpose of this research is to inform how a program evaluation is structured and carried out from both standpoints, and how that can serve public, private, and nonprofit sector agencies and apply that knowledge for those who work with foreign-born, immigrant, and mixed immigrant families and communities. A literature review matrix was constructed consisting of 50 gray and academic literature about program evaluation. Utilizing the matrix method, themes and patterns were identified, including how practitioners and researchers discuss and engage in program evaluation. This informed the creation of a practitioner toolkit to guide community-members on the evaluation process to facilitate implementation. This toolkit will be used by the One Region steering committee to guide their evaluation efforts in 2021. During this session, participants will learn about program evaluation from a practical application and theoretical understanding, by using the One Region Initiative as a case study.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Social Work and Human Services
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez-Schaefer
A Review of Grey and Academic Literature on Program Evaluations for Public, Private, and Nonprofit Sector Agency Use
Decision-makers, community members, and the general public want to ensure that programs are accomplishing their established purpose. Many methods can achieve this; however, the most effective way is through program evaluations. While there is plenty of information regarding program evaluations, little information is offered on what a program evaluation is from both a practitioner and an academic standpoint. This is essential information for organizations planning to have a successful program evaluation. We use Welcoming America, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization engaged in a community-university partnership by launching the One Region Initiative in 2018. The national pilot is an effort to increase local immigrant integration efforts throughout the region. After two years of investment in this work, a formal evaluation is being initiated. However, before engaging in the evaluation process, the steering committee for this initiative, who are members from all sectors, need to have a shared understanding of what evaluation is. Thus, the purpose of this research is to inform how a program evaluation is structured and carried out from both standpoints, and how that can serve public, private, and nonprofit sector agencies and apply that knowledge for those who work with foreign-born, immigrant, and mixed immigrant families and communities. A literature review matrix was constructed consisting of 50 gray and academic literature about program evaluation. Utilizing the matrix method, themes and patterns were identified, including how practitioners and researchers discuss and engage in program evaluation. This informed the creation of a practitioner toolkit to guide community-members on the evaluation process to facilitate implementation. This toolkit will be used by the One Region steering committee to guide their evaluation efforts in 2021. During this session, participants will learn about program evaluation from a practical application and theoretical understanding, by using the One Region Initiative as a case study.