Concept Analysis: Program Evaluation

Program Evaluation Concept Analysis
The focus of program evaluation is on outcomes and program effectiveness. The goal of program evaluation is to determine whether a program is meeting its intended goals and how it is impacting the community it serves. Organizations employ evaluators to ensure accountability and compliance regarding the budget to the program activities. Program evaluation is performed through the creation of a research design depending on the type of evaluation needed. For example, program evaluations can address a needs assessment, theory and design, implementation of a program, effectiveness, or efficiency (Rossi, Lipsey, & Freeman, 2004). These different models serve different purposes for the organization. For example, a needs assessment is usually performed to determine whether the organization is properly serving its population or whether there are other services the population can benefit from. On the other hand, an implementation evaluation is used to figure out whether a program has been properly implemented to serve its purpose. Ultimately, program evaluations are performed by evaluators to assess the outcomes and efficiency of an organization.
The research design for program evaluation includes: identifying stakeholders, examining the organization, defining program goals, measurable indicators, data collection, and data analysis. To begin with, evaluators need to

The most common way that evaluators report the results to the organizations is by using percentiles. In class, we discussed that percentiles are the easiest way for the intended audience of the program evaluation to understand the results. The evaluator is also responsible for breaking down tasks for easier understanding for the stakeholders. These results are then used to help the organization apply the necessary changes to the program to increase efficiency and