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Home > Statistics & Research > Feasibility of Evaluating the State Court Improvement Program

Feasibility of Evaluating the State Court Improvement Program

Volume I
Final Report

September 12, 2003

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Executive Summary

I. Introduction

A. Study Purpose and Project Objectives

1. Program Background
2. Purpose for Undertaking this Evaluability Assessment and Project Objectives

B. Project Methodology

1. Clarifying Program Intent
2. Examining Select Interventions and Alternative Evaluation Strategies
3. Reaching Agreement on Formal Evaluation Approaches and Priorities

C. Outline of this Report

II. Court Improvement Program Description and Context

A. Range of Activities Funded Under the Court Improvement Program

B. CIP Evaluability Assessment Classification System

C. Sites Selected for Evaluability Assessment

D. Summary

III. Evaluability Assessment of Court Improvement Interventions

A. CIP Evaluability Assessment Criteria

B. CIP Evaluability Assessment Site Interventions

C. Inputs and Expected Outcomes Among Sites

D. Overview of Recommended Evaluation Methodologies

1. Experimental Design
2. Quasi-Experimental Design
3. Pre-Post Evaluation Design
4. Descriptive Analysis of Outcomes

E. Recommended Evaluation Methods

1. Experimental Design
2. Quasi-Experimental Design
3. Pre-Post Evaluation Design
4. Descriptive Analysis of Outcomes

F. Conclusions

IV. Evaluation Priorities and Approaches

A. Principles Guiding a National Evaluation of the Court Improvement Program

B. Components of a National Evaluation of CIP

1. Review of State and Local Court Activities Funded Under CIP
2. Synthesis of Existing Court Reform Evaluations
3. Evaluation of Select Interventions

C. Conclusions

V. Summary and Conclusions

A. Identifying Promising CIP Activities and Strategies

B. Determining Relevant Information to be Gained by Undertaking Evaluation

C. Identifying Programs Amenable to a Full-Scale Evaluation

1. Criteria for Assessing Evaluability
2. Interventions Assessed
3. Evaluation Methods

D. Recommendations for a Full-Scale Evaluation

1. Review of State and Local Court Activities Funded Under CIP
2. Synthesis of Existing Court Reform Evaluations
3. Evaluations of Select Interventions

E. Conclusions

Appendix A	Court Improvement Project Evaluability Assessment (CIP-EA) Technical Work Group HTML or PDF (9 KB)
Appendix B	Court Improvement Project Evaluability Assessment (CIP-EA) Intervention Logic Models HTML
Appendix C	Summary of Court Reform Evaluations HTML or PDF (57 KB)