Process and Outcome Evaluation Solutions
Our Process and Out
come Evaluation Solutions help organizations answer questions about the programs, services, or strategies they are implementing. Process evaluation measures aspects of program implementation, facilitates understanding of strengths and areas for improvement, and informs the overall quality of service delivery. Outcome evaluation examines changes associated with implementation and is essential to understanding overall impacts and progress toward specific goals and objectives. DCG has extensive experience conducting small- to large-scale process and outcome evaluations for businesses, local, state, and federal grant initiatives, foundations, education, and non-profit organizations. Services are tailored to the unique needs of the organization but may include:
As a 21st Century Community Learning Center evaluator, DCG provides evaluation services to more than fifty 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) afterschool program sites nationally. While completely customizable, the typical 21st CCLC evaluation provides a mix of process and outcome evaluation. Onsite observations and bi-annual stakeholder (e.g., student, parent, staff) surveys provide program staff with the information they need to assess program quality and make adjustments throughout the program year. Analyses of state and local assessment data, report card grades, Department of Education (DOE) teacher surveys, school day attendance, and student behavior track progress toward each program’s goals, objectives, and performance measures and allow for comparisons of performance across students with varied program attendance. Longitudinal analyses examine the long-term impacts of programming over time. Technical assistance is available on an ongoing basis to ensure the highest quality data and reporting.
DCG partners with a number of youth- and family-serving agencies to provide strategic evaluation services. Over the past decade, DCG has evaluated programs with published curricula such as Class Action, Strengthening Families, Project Northland, Olweus Anti-bullying, Project SUCCESS, and Why Try, as well as programs developed specifically for the client agency such as juvenile justice initiatives, programs targeting specific or unique groups, and clients’ proprietary programs. In all cases, the evaluation approach has involved assessing alignment between program activities and organizational goals, ensuring that programs are implemented with fidelity, and analyzing and communicating outcomes of program implementation. The evaluation process has empowered client organizations to improve programming, recruit participants, communicate with staff, board members, community members, and other stakeholder groups, and secure funding for programs.
Across three Safe Schools Healthy Students grant awards from U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Juvenile Justice, DCG partnered with education, law enforcement, mental health, and juvenile justice agencies to evaluate progress toward grant objectives. These large-scale evaluation projects involved initiatives targeting the reduction of school violence and drug and alcohol abuse as well as strategies to increase and improve access to student supports, mental health services, and early childhood education. DCG’s evaluation was critical to communicating the success of the initiatives at the local and national levels as well as promoting the sustainability of successful programs and partnerships after the designated grant period. DCG has also evaluated other federal grant programs such as Full Service Community Schools, Carol White Physical Education Grant Program (PEP), Math and Science Partnership Grants, Grants to Reduce Alcohol Abuse, Healthy Marriage Demonstration Program, and Mental Health First Aid.