LEADERSHIP
Program/Project/Grant Evaluation

Mass Network’s approach to program evaluation is derived from the
research-based approach described most succinctly in “The Age of our
Accountability,” by Thomas Guskey in the fall, 1998 edition of The Journal of Staff Development published by the National Staff Development Council. Guskey proposes five areas of evaluation, which have streamline into the following three:

A. Events: Did they happen as planned? To what extent did participants’ knowledge and/or skill increase? What were the participants’ perceptions of its classroom-usefulness immediately following the event and after later reflection?

B. Changes in Professional Culture and Teaching Practice over the course of the program/project/grant.

C. Changes in Student Activity & Learning Outcomes over the course of the program/project/grant.

In each of these areas there are usually several items. There are likely to be multiple events, and the district is usually hoping to achieve several types of changes in instructional activity and in student learning outcomes. To organize all the information, we create an “Evaluation Grid” describing the event or goal being pursued, the type of evidence that will be measured, how the data will be created or collected, who is responsible for each required task, and the anticipated date that each task needs to be done.

While most evaluators focus on the creation of a final, summative report, Mass Networks believes that the most valuable aspect of evaluation comes from the collection and use of in-process, formative, feed-back. (See our longer article about the different types and uses of data analysis, “How To Avoid Useless Program Evaluations”.) This means that we will design an evaluation protocol that is collaborative and integrated with your program/project activities. We will, of course, do the data analysis and report writing. But we hope that your own staff is involved in ways that empower them and help them make on-going adjustments as the project unfolds.

For more information about our Evaluation Services please contact:

Min Zeng
Professional Development Specialist
mzeng@massnetworks.org
617-783-9988 x100