Given decision-makers often prioritize causal research that identifies the impact of treatments on the people they serve, a key question in education research is, "Does it work?". Today, however, researchers are paying increasing attention to successive questions that are equally important from a practical standpoint--not only does it…

Logic modeling, the process that explicates how programs are constructed and theorized to bring about change, is considered to be standard evaluation practice. However, logic modeling is often experienced as a transactional, jargon-laden, discrete task undertaken to produce a document to comply with the expectations of an external entity, the…

Evaluators are often called upon to assess the effects of programs. To assess a program effect, evaluators need a clear understanding of how a program effect is defined. Arguably, the most widely used definition of a program effect is the counterfactual one. According to the counterfactual definition, a program effect is the difference between…

The roles in traditional mentoring dyads are well known across both academic and professional contexts (Dawson, 2014). Despite the universality of these relationships, the way mentorship is evaluated in these relationships is fractured. Evaluation is limited to singular voices, singular points in time and simplified metrics to capture the journey…

Sport management curricula at universities across the United States often require one or more classes on legal issues of sport. Most often, the topic of risk management (RM) is not covered as extensively as necessary with venues and events being targets of violence and terrorism. Do graduating sport management students understand RM in a way where…

For over 30 years, calls have been issued for the western evaluation field to address implicit bias in its theory and practice. Although many in the field encourage evaluators to be culturally competent, ontological competence remains unaddressed. Grounded in an institutionalized distrust of non-western perspectives of reality and knowledge…

Education systems today must prepare every child, everywhere, to thrive in an increasingly complex world. But despite huge increases in education spending over the past two decades, children are not achieving the desired outcomes. A lack of belief and investment has led to widespread demotivation of teachers and officials, as demonstrated by high…

Premised on the idea that evaluators should be familiar with a range of approaches to program modifications, I review several existing approaches and then describe another, less well-recognized option. In this newer option, evaluators work with others to identify potentially needed adaptations for select program aspects "in advance." In…

Intervention scientists have used program theory-driven evaluation to design, implement, and assess the success of intervention programs for decades. However, interventions often are designed without the input of the community for which they are intended. The lack of incorporation of community members' voices that participate in various…

Quality is a main issue when practices of validation are developed. In the Nordic countries, a model of quality assurance in validation has been introduced, to be applied in the development of validation practices. The model puts the individual at the centre and introduces eight factors for quality: information, preconditions, documentation,…

This article describes a multidimensional model of context that identifies, defines, and explains three key properties of context: multilevel, multifactorial, and interactive. The use of this model to drive a context-based enhancement cycle is also described. The enhancement cycle involves four steps: (a) identifying current interactions that…

This article describes the components of a program outcomes assessment model based on best practices that can be applied to improve the program review process in institutions of higher education.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic intensified disparities for underserved populations as accessing resources became more difficult. Dairy Council of California launched the Let's Eat Healthy initiative to address nutrition security through collaborative solutions in the school environment. Implications For School Health Policy, Practice, and…

The Young STEM Leader Programme (YSLP) is an important feature of the Scottish Government's STEM Strategy. YSLP creates culture change through developing peer role models who challenge stereotypes and improve awareness and attitudes towards STEM. YSLP is having a major impact on the quality and extent of peer support available across primary and…

When our students told us they wanted our faculty and staff to practice the leadership competencies that we were outlining in our university's leadership competency model, we decided to take on the challenge. Based on principles of effective leadership development, the College of Business and Office of Human Resources created and continue to…