CONTENTS

Table of Contents
Introduction

1. Introduction to Evaluation
2. What Does an Evaluation Project Look Like
3. Understanding Types of Evaluation Projects
4. Preparing for Your Evaluation

Supplements
Resources

Evaluation for the Unevaluated:
Program Evaluation 101

3. Draft evaluation questions.

The million dollar question Jack and the community want answered is, "Does Cool After School Work?" Unfortunately, Jack can't phone a friend. And because there are many factors affecting substance use, he can't ask just one question.

Jack and his team drafted a list of evaluation questions, which taken together would help show whether the program worked:

• Do students participating in Cool After School develop more resistance skills, social skills, and favorable attitudes?
• Did their knowledge about alcohol and drugs increase?
• Do CAS students develop friendships with nonusing peers?
• Do CAS parents and children communicate more frequently?
• Do mentored youth show increased self-esteem, social skills, and self-confidence?
• Do mentored youth feel more committed to school and did their grades improve?
• Are students in the CAS program more likely to report that they have a positive role model?
• Do CAS students participate in alternative activities more?
• Did their team-building skills improve?
• Did their rapport with adults improve?
• Did participants use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs before leaving middle school?

A worthy list, Jack's group agreed, but perhaps too detailed. And the answers to these questions might be too difficult to measure with the standard instruments they would be using. The group worked with the evaluator to narrow the list to several measurable questions:

1. Did program participants reduce use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs compared to nonparticipants?
2. Did program participants delay the onset of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use compared to nonparticipants?
3. Did program participants improve school performance compared to non participants?
4. Did program participants improve attitudes toward school compared to nonparticipants?
5. Did program participants improve perception of parental attitudes toward youth ATOD use compared to nonparticipants?
6. Did program participants increase disapproval of drug use compared to nonparticipants ?