A review of 25 technical assistance models and frameworks was conducted to identify the core elements of technical assistance practices. The focus of analysis was on generally agreed upon technical assistance practices that were considered essential for planning, implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of technical assistance. Results…

This study examines a Wallace Foundation-sponsored initiative aimed at improving the financial management skills and practices of 25 Chicago afterschool providers through training and coaching. Two models for this professional development were provided and each produced long-lasting improvements. Moreover, organizations receiving the…

Human service practitioners face challenges in communicating how their programs lead to desired outcomes. One framework for representation that is now widely used in the field of program evaluation is the program logic model. This article presents an example of how qualitative data were used to refine a logic model for the Cornell Family…

The provision of consistent high quality home- and community-based services to children with disabilities living in rural and frontier areas is a challenge. Distance, weather, geographic terrain (mountains, canyons), and shortages of pediatric early interventionists are among the challenges to ensuring appropriate and equitable services.…

This study of 14 day reporting centers demonstrated that findings from analyses that take into account the clustering of clients into programs differ from those that ignore it. The multilevel analysis found that a higher likelihood of completion is associated with being older, White/non-Hispanic, having a current "other" offense, and…

The accountability and reform movements in education and the human services professions have pressured counselors to demonstrate outcomes of counseling programs and services. Evaluation models developed for large-scale evaluations are generally impractical for counselors to implement. Counselors require practical models to guide them in planning…

Since the first child care Quality Rating System (QRS) was implemented in Oklahoma 11 years ago (in 1998), 16 additional statewide systems have been launched and numerous states are piloting or developing a QRS (Zaslow, Tout, & Martinez-Beck, forthcoming). As QRS stakeholders across the nation look ahead to the next decade, it is important to take…

This case study describes a comprehensive program evaluation of a human service bachelor's degree program at a midsize, traditional university. The program evaluation model is describes, as well as the multiple methods used for gathering data. Critiques and recommendations are provided as advice to those interested in conducting their own program…

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…

Describes uses of computer simulations for the context of human service program evaluation. Presents simple mathematical models for most commonly used human service outcome evaluation designs (pretest-posttest randomized experiment, pretest-posttest nonequivalent groups design, and regression-discontinuity design). Translates models into single…

Presents a way to evaluate the impact of local human services delivery systems and illustrates this logic model through the experiences of an urban United Way organization. This experience suggests that the logic model may have applications in planning when the aim is long-term social objectives through short-term interventions. (SLD)

Faculties within the university community are ideal settings for preventative, outreach counseling. Efforts by a university counseling center to provide psychological services to a faculty of education are described. Difficulties of program evaluation and psychological consultation are also discussed. (Author)

The need for and applicability of general systems theory in human services evaluation is discussed. The role of evaluation in human services agencies is described and the necessity of combining the programs to be evaluated and the evaluation process itself in a single unifying conceptual model is demonstrated. (Author/AL)

Presents an evaluation pf a training model that introduces graduate students from the professions of clinical psychology, education, physical therapy, and social work to interdisciplinary practice. Results indicate that, when compared with a control group, students who participated in the training model exhibited significant differences in…

This objective evaluation of the Kanawha County Schools Community Education (CE) program offered project staff the opportunity to determine the worth or effectiveness of the CE program and to provide stimuli for program improvement purposes. The CE personnel and the evaluation team blended their expertise--the program staff in the substance of the…