The author, a federal manager who leads development and maintenance of evaluation for specific public health programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tells the story of developing an evaluation unit in the Office on Smoking and Health. Lessons about managing evaluation, including his practices and related principles, are…

Describes key issues to consider in evaluating community capacity based on four community-based health programs that have included increasing community capacity or a related concept as one of the defined outcomes of their program and their subsequent evaluations. Two programs were rural, and the others, urban. (SLD)

Proposes a framework for the evaluation of health and human services programs in community settings. Applies this framework to the discussions in this special issue to see how well the chapters advance community-based program evaluation. Concludes that the chapters are valuable for those interested in improving the evaluation of community-based…

The authors present the argument that evaluation as currently practiced is failing the needs of the social sector, if the goal is to help organizations achieve their mission. Three case studies are presented in which evaluation played a key role in the development of a learning culture within the organization. Each case highlights the positive…

Argues for maintaining a discovery capacity (both qualitative and quantitative) in evaluations of community-based health and human service programs. Discovery capacity is defined as a mechanism to detect new insights and developments in programs. Cites reasons this capacity is especially important in community-based programs. (SLD)

Thailand has had an epidemic of heterosexually transmitted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection since the mid-1980s that has affected both high-risk populations (such as commercial sex workers) and low-risk populations (such as wives of men who have sex with commercial sex workers). As a result, the prevalence of HIV infection among…

Conventional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) textbooks rarely address the various political influences exerted on M&E of public health programs. Policymakers are often the largest consumers of M&E information; indeed, the genesis of many public health program evaluation efforts is a need to inform public policy. People define "political…