Program Evaluation

Planning your evaluation is critical to having a successful evaluation. Evaluation planning provides an opportunity to focus your evaluation on things that are most critical for you and your stakeholders to understand about your program. Evaluation planning should be conducted as part of overall program planning so that evaluation is built into your program from the beginning.

Evaluation Planning Resources

The CDC Framework for Program Evaluation guides public health professionals in program evaluation. It is a practical, non-prescriptive tool designed to summarize and organize essential elements of program evaluation. The framework includes steps in program evaluation practice and standards for effective program evaluation. The steps and standards of this framework will provide an understanding of each program's context and improve how program evaluations are conceived and conducted.

Evaluation Briefs

• Selecting an Evaluation Consultant [PDF - 265 KB]
• Gaining Consensus Among Stakeholders Through the Nominal Group Technique [PDF - 200 B]
• Developing Process Evaluation Questions [PDF - 177 KB]

Developing an Effective Evaluation Plan

Developing an Effective Evaluation Plan is a workbook developed by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion that includes tools and resources on developing an evaluation plan.

Knowing the who, what, when, where, and how much of program activities allows you to assess how well a program has been implemented.

Data Collection Methods

Collecting data accurately and systematically is an important part of program evaluation.

• Data Collection Methods for Program Evaluation: Focus Groups [PDF - 180 KB]
• Data Collection Methods for Program Evaluation: Questionnaires [PDF - 157 KB]
• Checklist to Evaluate the Quality of Questions [PDF - 169 KB]
• Data Collection Methods for Program Evaluation: Observation [PDF - 208 KB]
• Data Collection Methods for Program Evaluation: Interviews [PDF - 182 KB]
• Data Collection Methods for Program Evaluation: Document Review [PDF - 191 KB]
• Increasing Questionnaire Response Rates [PDF - 274 KB]
• Using Incentives to Boost Response Rates [PDF - 229 KB]
• Using Ordered Response Options To Collect Evaluation Data [PDF - 96 KB]

Data Analysis

Once you have collected data, you need to analyze it so that you can use the information to improve your program.

• Analyzing Qualitative Data for Evaluation [PDF - 147 KB]
• Analyzing Quantitative Data for Evaluation [PDF - 231 KB]

Use evaluation findings to plan program improvements. Evaluation data should be compared with your program goals and objectives to make program improvements.

Develop reports and presentations to inform program staff and key stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels about your program. These reports can help make a case for the continuation or expansion of well-planned and implemented programs and can gather support for future program improvements.

DASH funded partners are asked to submit success stories annually to DASH that highlight accomplishments of their programs.

Resources: Share Results & Improve Program

The following resources may help you effectively use your evaluation results to make your program more effective:

• Disseminating Program Achievements and Evaluation Findings to Garner Support [PDF - 146 KB]
• Preparing an Evaluation Report [PDF - 151 KB]
• Using Graphs and Charts to Illustrate Quantitative Data [PDF - 256 KB]

The following resource may help you create success stories:

• Program Success Stories