Supporting Materials: Evaluation Report Outline
Preliminary Assessment of Taft Middle School Prevention Activities | Evaluation Report Outline | Developing a Presentation | Options for Sharing Information | Selecting Your Audience |
From Hampton, C. (2002). Communicating information to funders for support and accountability. University of Kansas: Community Toolbox. Available online at http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/EN/sub_section_tools_1376.htm
The following is a suggested outline for organizing and presenting your evaluation findings. You will need a report that clearly describes the effectiveness of your program in order to maintain current support, garner new support, and apply for additional funding.
Front Cover
Make sure that your front cover looks neat and professional -- this is the first thing readers will see, so you want to make a good first impression. The front cover should include the following:
Title and location of your program or initiative
Name(s) of evaluator(s)
Period covered by the report
Date of the report
Section I. Executive Summary
This brief (two-to three-page) overview of the evaluation should outline major findings and recommendations. Since many people only read the executive summary (and ignore the rest of the report), make sure that it is as clear and complete as possible. The executive summary should answer these questions:
What was evaluated?
Why was the evaluation conducted?
What are the major findings and recommendations?
If space permits, it should also describe:
the report's intended audience
others who might find the report to be of interest or importance
decisions that have been, or need to be made, based on the evaluation results
Section II. Background Information About the Program
Write this section assuming that readers know nothing about your program. Typically, this section should include and/or identify the following:
Origins of your program or initiative
Program goals
Target audience
Administrative/organizational structure
Program activities and services
Materials used and produced by the program
Program staff
Section III. Description of the Evaluation
This section explains why you conducted the evaluation and what you hoped to learn from it. It should also explain anything the evaluation was not intended to do (e.g., if it was a process evaluation, it was not meant to assess program effectiveness). This section should include the following information:
Name of organization requesting the evaluation
Any evaluation restrictions (e.g., money, time)
Evaluation design and why it was selected
Timetable for collecting data
Type of data collected (for each separate measure)
Methods used to gather data and why they were chosen
Steps taken to ensure accuracy
Section IV. Results of the Evaluation
This section is where you present your findings. To be complete, this section should include the following:
All of the data collected during the evaluation, analyzed, recorded, and organized so that it is easily understood (make sure to use charts, tables, and graphs, as appropriate)
Excerpts from interviews
Testimonials from participants and clients
Questionnaire results
Test scores
Anecdotal evidence
Section V. Discussion of Results
Here is your chance to assign meaning to your results and place them in the context of your overall initiative. These are some questions that this section might answer:
How sure are you that your program or initiative caused these results?
Were there any other factors that could have contributed to the results?
How are the results different from what they would have been if your program didn't exist?
Based on these results, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your program?
Section VI. Costs and Benefits
This section is optional, though it can provide you with an opportunity to justify your program's budget and financial choices. It may include:
costs associated with the initiative (e.g., resources, staff/volunteer hours)
methods used to develop the budget
program benefits (both financial and non-financial)
Section VII. Conclusions
After writing this entire report, you may be tempted to dash off a brief conclusion. Resist that temptation! This is where you make your recommendations, so take your time and think through what you plan to say. This section should include the following:
Major conclusions, based on the evaluation results
Recommendations for future program activities
Things about the evaluation that did and did not work well
Recommendations for future program assessments
Return to Day 2: Using Data to Set Your Direction |
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