Self-Directed Assessment
Assessments designed and carried out by your own staff moves a program forward, increases its ability to meet the needs of those served, and informs the program's future. It is particularly vital during the formative pilot year, when tremendous growth and learning occur and the need to build support for the program is greatest.
External Evaluation
Bringing in others to help answer questions can provide the kind of bottom-line information that matters to those outside the program team: senior management, development departments, donors and funders, government agencies, and other organizations engaged or interested in undertaking the work. External evaluation can also be formative, providing critical insights into a new program and contributing significantly to program design. For this kind of evaluation, one needs to develop strategies for compiling and communicating the program’s scope and impact, including::
- • A program profile comprising basic statistics
- • Contextual research that places the work in a broader societal framework
- • Case studies—comprising field notes, video, audio, and interviews—to document the effects on participants, staff, musicians, and partners, and to be used internally to provide presenters with insights into what works and what doesn’t