Program Evaluation 101

One of the primary reasons for evaluating a school or district improvement program is to learn the extent that a program is successful in producing intended program outcomes, most often student achievement gains. However, there are a number of other reasons for designing and carrying out an evaluation plan for a given district or school improvement program. These include clarifying the program’s theory of change, confirming that program activities are being implemented, and identifying a program’s areas of strength and weakness. These elements are essential to promoting the success of a program by focusing on the expected short- and long-term outcomes for program activities and the progress being made toward attaining them. Program Evaluation 101 participants will explore these issues by engaging in activities derived from typical district and school program planning and evaluation contexts.

Who Should Attend:
Administrators; state and district generators of data; and users of data

Objectives:
You will

• gain an understanding of a theory of change;
• increase your knowledge of using a program’s theory of change to guide the design of a program evaluation plan; and
• identify tools for designing and carrying out an evaluation plan.

Presenter: Erin McCann develops and conducts formative and summative evaluation and research studies in SEDL's Research and Evaluation program. She also provides training and support to state and district staff to build their capacity to evaluate school improvement efforts. Prior to joining SEDL in June 2000, Dr. McCann worked as an evaluation consultant and taught classes at the University of Texas, Southwest Texas State University, and Austin Community College. She holds a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Location:
CPL sessions are held at SEDL's headquarters in Austin, TX. Contact SEDL if you would like to schedule a customized session at your location.