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November 19, 2015 Framing Program Evaluation: Why We Should Tinker With Theories of Change and Logic Models Carolina Buitrago Download a PDF of this publication (2371 kb)

FINE Newsletter, Volume VII, Issue 4
Issue Topic: Evaluation and Improvement Science in Action

Voices From the Field

Evaluation needs and capacity are varied, but one thing is true across the board: Organizations need to frame their evaluation efforts in a comprehensive way that brings their program components together and explains how day-to-day implementation may yield the intended effects. At the Harvard Graduate School of Education, lecturer Candice Bocala trains future program evaluators in the art of supporting organizations to engage in cycles of ongoing inquiry and improvement using theory-based evaluation. Students in her class form small teams, and, as part of their field experience, “consult” with nonprofit organizations on developing program evaluation plans.

For this article (PDF), Harvard Family Research Project had the opportunity to talk with several graduate students taking Bocala’s class and the partner organizations they worked with, including United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC), and Boston After School & Beyond (BASB). Although the three organizations had different evaluation needs, they all benefited from participating in a process of questioning and refining their program logic.

This resource is part of the November FINE Newsletter. The FINE Newsletter shares the newest and best family engagement research and resources from Harvard Family Research Project and other field leaders. To access the archives of past issues, please visit www.hfrp.org/FINENewsletter.