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Citation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health. MMWR 1999;48(No. RR-11).
Contents
Summary Understanding the logic, reasoning, and values of evaluation that are reflected in this framework can lead to lasting impacts, such as basing decisions on systematic judgments instead of unfounded assumptions.
Purposes
Scope
Additional terms defined in this report were chosen carefully to create a basic evaluation vocabulary for public health professionals.
How to Assign Value
Assigning value and making judgments regarding a program on the basis of evidence requires answering the following questions:
These questions should be addressed at the beginning of a program and revisited throughout its implementation. The framework provides a systematic approach for answering these questions.
Steps and Standards
The steps and standards are
used together throughout the evaluation process. For each step there
are a sub-set of standards that are generally most relevant to consider.
These are linked in the table entitled:
Conducting Optimal Evaluations Public health professionals can no longer question whether to evaluate their programs; instead, the appropriate questions are The framework for program evaluation helps answer these questions by guiding its users in selecting evaluation strategies that are useful, feasible, ethical, and accurate. To use the recommended framework in a specific program context requires skill in both the science and art of program evaluation. The challenge is to devise an optimal — as opposed to an ideal — strategy. An optimal strategy is one that accomplishes each step in the framework in a way that accommodates the program context and meets or exceeds all relevant standards.
Assembling an Evaluation Team Harnessing and focusing the efforts of a collaborative group is one approach to conducting an optimal evaluation. A team approach can succeed when small groups of carefully selected persons decide what the evaluation must accomplish, and they pool resources to implement the plan. Stakeholders might have varying levels of involvement on the team that correspond to their own perspectives, skills, and concerns. A leader must be designated to coordinate the team and maintain continuity throughout the process; thereafter, the steps in evaluation practice guide the selection of team members. For example,
All organizations, even those that are able to find evaluation team members within their own agency, should collaborate with partners and take advantage of community resources when assembling an evaluation team. This strategy increases the available resources and enhances the evaluation’s credibility. Furthermore, a diverse team of engaged stakeholders has a greater probability of conducting a culturally competent evaluation (i.e., one that understands and is sensitive to the program’s cultural context). Although challenging for the coordinator and the participants, the collaborative approach is practical because of the benefits it brings (e.g., reduces suspicion and fear, increases awareness and commitment, increases the possibility of achieving objectives, broadens knowledge base, teaches evaluation skills, strengthens partnerships, increases the possibility that findings will be used, and allows for differing perspectives).
Addressing Common Concerns Common concerns regarding program evaluation are clarified by using this framework. Evaluations might not be undertaken because they are misperceived as having to be costly. However, the expense of an evaluation is relative; the cost depends on the questions being asked and the level of certainty desired for the answers. A simple, low-cost evaluation can deliver valuable results. Rather than discounting evaluations as time-consuming and tangential to program operations, the framework encourages conducting evaluations that are timed strategically to provide necessary feedback. This makes integrating evaluation with program practice possible. Another concern centers on the perceived technical demands of designing and conducting an evaluation. Although circumstances exist where controlled environments and elaborate analytic techniques are needed, most public health program evaluations do not require such methods. Instead, the practical approach endorsed by this framework focuses on questions that will improve the program by using context-sensitive methods and analytic techniques that summarize accurately the meaning of qualitative and quantitative information. Finally, the prospect of evaluation troubles some program staff because they perceive evaluation methods as punitive, exclusionary, and adversarial. The framework encourages an evaluation approach that is designed to be helpful and engages all interested stakeholders in a process that welcomes their participation.
Documents and Manuals Based on the Framework
Introduction to Program Evaluation for Public Health Programs: A Self-Study
Guide This version was developed to provide a practical tool to each step in the CDC Framework. The manual presents the same content as the CDC publication, but using more user-friendly layout, cross-cutting case examples, and in-depth instructions and worksheets.
Adapted Version for Community Stakeholders This version was developed to provide a practical tool for engaging community stakeholders in program evaluation activities. Community stakeholders are often prevented from participating because explanations of evaluation are written mainly for academic and professional readers. This document explains evaluation by speaking directly to people who live and work in communities. Adaptations were based on feedback gathered systematically from front-line practitioners and community members across the country. The result is a retooled version of the framework that is more accessible to community members and staff of community-based organizations. The CBPH version presents essentially the same content as the CDC publication using less technical language, more graphics, and more user-friendly layout. It also includes case examples and quotes provided by community-based practitioners.
Instructional
Video and Workbook Course materials may be purchased from the Public Health Foundation by calling the toll free number 1-877-252-1200, or using use their on-line order form. The cost is approximately $40.00. For informational purposes, the workbook can be viewed free-of-charge over the internet.
The Community Tool Box (CTB) is a highly acclaimed internet resource for health promotion and community development. It contains a wealth of practical information about how to do the work of public health and social change on a community level. Because they consider program evaluation to be a critical part of successful community-based work, the CTB team used the basic elements of the framework to create a unique gateway to evaluation ideas and tools. |
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