At a glance
- At CDC, effective program evaluation is a systematic way to improve and account for public health actions.
- It's important to conduct routine evaluations, which can aid program management and strengthen program effectiveness.
- These evaluations should be part of all state and local education and public health programs.
Evaluation planning
Planning your evaluation is critical. Planning enables you to focus the evaluation on the most critical aspects of your program—for you and your stakeholders.
Evaluation planning resources
CDC's Framework for Program Evaluation guides public health professionals in program evaluation. It is a practical, non-prescriptive tool that includes steps and standards. It is designed to summarize and organize essential parts of program evaluation.
The steps and standards of this framework will help clarify each program’s context. They will also help improve how program evaluations are conceived and conducted.
Evaluation briefs
- Selecting an Evaluation Consultant
- Gaining Consensus Among Stakeholders Through the Nominal Group Technique
- Developing Process Evaluation Questions
Developing an Effective Evaluation Plan
Data collection and analysis
Keep in mind
Data collection methods for program evaluation
Collecting data—accurately and systematically—is an important part of program evaluation.
- Focus Groups
- Questionnaires
- Checklist to Evaluate the Quality of Questions
- Observation
- Interviews
- Document Review
- Increasing Questionnaire Response Rates
- Using Incentives to Boost Response Rates
- Using Ordered Response Options to Collect Evaluation Data
Data analysis
Once you have collected data, you need to analyze it so that you can use the information to improve your program.
Share results and improve the program
Use evaluation findings to plan program improvements.
- Compare evaluation data with your program goals and objectivesto make program improvements.
Develop reports and presentations to inform program staff.
- Develop reports and presentations to inform program staff and key stakeholders (at the local, state, and federal levels) about your program.
- Use these reports to make a case for the continuation or expansion of well-planned and implemented programs. You can also use the reports to gather support for future program improvements.
Additional evaluation resources
The following resources may help you use your evaluation results to make your program more effective:
- Disseminating Program Achievements and Evaluation Findings to Garner Support
- Preparing an Evaluation Report
- Using Graphs and Charts to Illustrate Quantitative Data
Success Stories
Recipients funded by the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) are asked to submit success stories annually to DASH—to highlight their programs' accomplishments.
