Course
Overview Why We
Evaluate Types of
Evaluation Evaluation
Designs Research
Quality Three
Stages Hiring an
External Evaluator Managing an
Evaluation Evaluation
Reporting Summary

Program evaluation is the systematic process of studying a program (or practice, intervention, or initiative) to discover how well it is working to achieve intended goals. When we evaluate, we gather and analyze information to serve three purposes:

• Program assessment—verifying, documenting, and quantifying program activities and their effects
• Program improvement—finding out where a program may be failing or need improvement
• Strategic management—providing information that can help an agency or organization make decisions about how resources should be applied in the future to better serve its mission or goals

Done well, evaluation provides meaningful results to help you make informed judgments about your program and if and how resources should continue to be allocated for the program's success. You should be able to demonstrate that you are committing resources to efforts that produce tangible benefits for your target population.

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