In this era of accountability, Extension agents are expected to evaluate their programs for accountability. New Extension agents are not exempt from this expectation. If they lack evaluation capacity, this scenario can contribute to frustration and burnout. Therefore, it is paramount to explore new Extension agents' evaluation challenges and…

The effort described in this article resulted from requests for clarity and consistency from new and existing Extension/4-H educators as well as from recommendations by university auditors. The primary purpose of the effort was to clarify standards for effective county-based 4-H youth development programs and to help focus the roles of 4-H…

Increased demand for accountability has forced Extension educators to evaluate their programs and document program impacts. Due to this situation, some Extension educators may view evaluation simply as the task, imposed on them by administrators, of collecting outcome and impact data for accountability. They do not perceive evaluation as a useful…

The research reported here examined the impact of the Government Performance and Results Act on accountability and evaluation activities in two state Cooperative Extension Systems. Accountability was examined using five dimensions from Koppell's (2005) framework. Findings indicated both Extension systems transferred accountability activities to…

Extension educators need simple and accurate evaluation tools for program evaluation. This article explains how to use aspiration as an outcome indicator in Extension evaluation and introduces a practical evaluation tool. Aspiration can be described as the readiness for change. By recording participants' levels of aspiration, we will be able to…

Minnesota 4-H Youth Development (MN 4-H) used stewardship as a means to create organizational reform to address the public use of the 4-H name and emblem in terms of risk management, real estate and equipment, and finances. A task force implemented a participatory process with colleagues and stakeholders to build and implement the reform effort.…

The failure of supervisors to follow through with helpful interest and discussion has had a debilitating impact on too many Extension programs. The accountability aspect is explored using seven questions with which Extension professionals should be concerned. (ABM)

Reviews past extension reporting systems--Extension Management Information System, Narrative Accomplishments Reporting System, and Program Planning and Reporting System--and the mandates of the new Government Performance and Results Act. Highlights potential conflicts among the information needs and quality indicators of local, state, and federal…

Extension programs are traditionally human, personal, and responsive in character. The challenge is to design, implement, and evaluate programs that maintain their humanistic qualities while meeting increased accountability demands. (SK)

Authors discuss the advantages of the EMIS/SEMIS (Extension Management Information System/State Extension Management Information System), point out some of its deficiencies, and suggest ways to strengthen and improve it. (Editor)

The Cooperative Extension Program Evaluation Survey tests seven variables: behavioral change, tax dollars, support, family coping, quality of life, self-esteem, and stress and depression. Tests in family life programs in two states with 244 participants demonstrated its usefulness. (SK)

Participants in cooperative extension family life programs (N=916) identified family strains, coping, quality of life, self-esteem, stress, and willingness to support extension services with tax dollars. The resulting normative data can be used to measure the impact of cooperative extension programs. (SK)

Properly used, evaluation can be--and should be--more than a tool for measuring performance and establishing value. If evaluation is to be a useful tool of the change agent, he will have to borrow concepts and procedures from educational evaluation and adopt them to his needs. (Author)