Oftentimes, evaluation is not included in the planning of the work being done in communities. I think more and more organizations, large and small, are recognizing the value of evaluation and how it can enhance their effectiveness in the execution of their mission. I do think evaluation’s role has evolved over the course of my career. How have you seen evaluation’s role evolved over your career? Holly Parker, M.P.P., Senior Director of Programs, Fair Food Network Having a strong evaluation partner helps strengthen both our approach to the work and the ultimate impact of our efforts. And we have to be able to ask ourselves hard questions and hold ourselves accountable to high standards. We have to recognize both what we are achieving and how we can improve it. I’ve learned that understanding the impact of our work is critical. Joseph Dake, Ph.D., Chair/Professor, University of Toledo There is no need to “reinvent the wheel.” Part of being efficient with our resources is to ensure that we learn from the work of others, build upon that work, and contribute to the existing knowledge base through appropriate dissemination of our own work. These evaluations also serve to inform the scientific community when the results are published and presented. Well-designed and conducted evaluations help to determine whether projects like Market on the Green are accomplishing their objectives. With the limited funding available to address the myriad public health needs, it is important that we are using those resources in the most efficient manner possible. Unfortunately, it is unknown whether many of these programs are effective. There are numerous projects that focus on improving the health and well-being of the individuals within a community. Laura Leviton, Ph.D., Senior Advisor for Evaluation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The insights will be important both to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the prevention field for a long time to come. In particular, Voices for Healthy Kids has cast light on how to achieve success through state and local campaigns. Indeed, behavioral scientists have long noticed that, without policy and environmental supports for behavior change, all the prevention education in the world won’t achieve the goals. Policy can do a lot to encourage healthy choices and make them available to everyone. Julie Shuell, M.P.A., Project Director, Nemoursīoth the funder and the field need to know what the important unanswered questions are, for policy advocacy to improve health. Because we have evaluated ECELC, we know what results can be expected and can more easily convince state and local leaders to try it. Knowing and understanding what works and why it works, provides them with important information to select interventions. State and local policymakers want to improve children’s health, but resources are limited. Why do you think it is important to evaluate your projects? Todd Phillips, M.S., Director, Social Marketing and Communications, FHI 360 Formative research and evaluation are particularly important with communication work, as there’s no substitute for testing messages and materials with the target audience they are intended to reach. Our Partners’ Perspectives on the Importance of EvaluationĪ vital role of measurement and evaluation is to support program implementers and grassroots practitioners in their day-to-day work by helping them prove - or improve - their programs’ effectiveness, with high-quality, rigorous data to back it up.īelow, a few of our partners describe how evaluation has helped in their work, why they think it’s important to evaluate their projects, and more.Įvaluation is part of everything we do at FHI 360, from assessing NCCOR’s processes to measuring the impact of our social marketing campaigns to determining the effectiveness of the training and technical assistance we provide.
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