Implicit in discussions of educational reform, but rarely recognized, is the confusion between the terms change and progress. . . Change is not necessarily progress. Change must always be viewed in relation to the particular values, goals, and outcomes it serves.

- Michael G. Fullan, The New Meaning of Educational Change

When you accepted the position of Drug Prevention and School Safety Coordinator, you took on the exciting role of change agent. In collaboration with school and community partners, you strive to establish effective prevention initiatives that enhance health and educational outcomes for students in grades K-12. There is no question that you are fostering change in your schools and districts. You have brought diverse individuals together in new ways, unearthed and made sense of information about student needs, and initiated new programs and activities to meet those needs. However, it is critical to make sure that the efforts of everyone involved in your prevention initiative are making the situation better, not just different. That is where evaluation comes in; through evaluation, you can determine whether or not your good intentions are actually leading to great results!

Keep in mind that, in your role as a coordinator, you are not expected to know everything about how to conduct an evaluation of your schools' prevention initiative. You are, however, responsible for making sure that a quality evaluation is conducted. This five-day, facilitated event is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to initiate the process of evaluating your schools' prevention efforts. By the end of this event, you will be able to do the following:

• Describe the benefits of conducting a thorough evaluation of prevention activities.

• Make informed decisions about the best way to approach your evaluation.

• Identify and select the right person to help you evaluate your program.

• Collaborate with your evaluator to develop a solid and practical evaluation plan.

• Access additional evaluation resources.

Although this event cannot address all the issues critical to conducting a quality program evaluation, it will help you understand the basics and consider how to make your evaluation as feasible and useful as possible. You are ready to begin this event if you have done the following:

• received confirmation of your registration

• visited the Center's Orientation to On-line Events Web site

This event was developed by the National Coordinator Training and Technical Assistance Center and CSAP's Northeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies at Education Development Center, Inc.