Pathways Courses - Evaluation for the Unevaluated:

Evaluation for the Unevaluated:
Program Evaluation 102

Module 1: Evaluation and the Program Planning Process - Page 5 of 13

Administrative Record Reviews, or Digging Through People's Files

Administrative record reviews are sometimes known as "archival data collection." These are lofty terms for digging through people's files. It isn't as glamorous as sifting through celebrity trash cans but it can yield useful information.

Records or archival data can include:

Agency/program records
School records (e.g., grades, disciplinary actions, attendance reports)
Employer records (e.g., attendance records, performance evaluations)
Police or court records

PROS	CONS
Cheap and fast! Someone else has already done the hard work of collecting, cleaning, and storing the data.	You have to get permission to use someone else's data. This may be time consuming or impossible (see "confidentiality certificates"). Also, archival data may be biased. It was collected for a different purpose and may not exactly match what you need. In other words, the questions may not have been asked the way you need them asked. For example, school records may tell you that some kids in the Cool After School program have used drugs enough to be caught and suspended for it. However, the report won't tell you at what age they started using, or how often they use, or what their attitudes toward use are.

PROS

CONS

Cheap and fast! Someone else has already done the hard work of collecting, cleaning, and storing the data.

You have to get permission to use someone else's data. This may be time consuming or impossible (see "confidentiality certificates"). Also, archival data may be biased. It was collected for a different purpose and may not exactly match what you need. In other words, the questions may not have been asked the way you need them asked.

For example, school records may tell you that some kids in the Cool After School program have used drugs enough to be caught and suspended for it. However, the report won't tell you at what age they started using, or how often they use, or what their attitudes toward use are.

Evaluation for the Unevaluated: Program Evaluation 102

Administrative Record Reviews, or Digging Through People's Files

Evaluation for the Unevaluated:
Program Evaluation 102