The notions of indigenous knowledge and cultural philosophies are becoming ubiquitous in many social inquiries, and evaluation is no exception. Nonetheless, the pursuit to embed relevant indigenous philosophies in contemporary evaluation has yet to succeed. In this article, we discuss indigenous relational philosophies, approaches, and practices…

Why do we continue to see evidence that nonprofit staff feel like outcome measurement is missing important aspects of their work? Based on an analysis of over 1,000 pages of material in 10 outcome measurement guides and a focused literature review of frontline work in three types of nonprofit organizations, this article shows that existing outcome…

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a pilot study that promoted productive and capacity-building activities among deprived rural women of Mexico. The evaluation design is observational; 1,278 women are interviewed, and the comparison group is estimated by propensity score matching. The results show a positive impact on the…

Summarizes the chapters of this theme issue on youth participatory evaluation. The overarching theme from this collection is the shift from a focus on youth as defective to a view of youth as assets in community development. (SLD)

Offers a case study that examines the methodological problems of evaluating a community relations program in Northern Ireland. Recommends a quantitative and qualitative approach to evaluation and raises issues that must be addressed when evaluating community development programs. (Author/JOW)

Describes how the All Stars Talent Network, a youth development program, transformed a pilot donor-acquisition project into a combined site visit and evaluation that engaged youth participants, donors, and adult volunteers in a unique community-building partnership. (SLD)

A review of evaluations of community-based arts projects illustrates the methodological challenges of evaluating the arts and the issue of whether and how quantitative methods should be used. Eight studies revealed self-reports of personal, social, economic, and educational change, with few negative consequences. (Contains 52 references.) (SK)

An internal learning system (ILS), created for a development organization operating savings/credit programs with poor women, is used for data collection, monitoring, and evaluation. The ILS is participatory, pictorial, decentralized, and flexible; it documents socioeconomic impact and supports action planning. (SK)

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's fourth conference occurred as the Foundation launched a new neighborhood transformation and family development strategy centered on strengthening families. This conference summary presents discussions of the major themes from the conference. Section 1, "Understanding the Connection between Families and…

An information-based rather than a knowledge-based approach to evaluation of social development programs has two advantages: (1) relative objectivity and (2) equity. Increasingly equitable flows of information are one indicator of social development. (SK)

Using the example of evaluation in development programs, the author presents arguments for improving evaluation in adult education, including objective achievement, foreseen and unforeseen outcomes, and contributions to community development. (SK)

This study described and evaluated a 1969 community development training seminar in the province of Quebec held by the Institute Cooperatif Desjardin, including workshops on such topics as community development ("animation"), economic development, and program planning and administration. Concentrating on the nature and causes of the…

Of the many roles colleges are called upon to play, the role of partner in community development is a significant one. The visibility and importance of this function is particularly evident in rural and remote communities. These locations provide excellent opportunities to examine the dynamics of this interaction, and gain an understanding that…

Nineteen Wisconsin counties were the site of the four-year Rural Development Demonstration Project, one of five such projects in the nation. Among the project's objectives were to accelerate sound economic, social, cultural and environmental development and to provide alternatives for living in non-metropolitan areas while providing greater…

Documenting the impact of 1978-79 Community Resource Development (CRD) projects, this national study presents data in response to a congressional mandate calling for assessment of the consequences and effectiveness of Community Resource Development projects. The report presents findings derived from questionnaires sent to 47 state CRD leaders, 120…