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Session Title: At the Intersection of Policy and Practice in Multisite Evaluation: Perspectives From Three Different Fields
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Panel Session 315 to be held in Mineral Hall Section D on Thursday, Nov 6, 1:40 PM to 3:10 PM
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Sponsored by the Cluster, Multi-site and Multi-level Evaluation TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Michael Bates,
Mosaic Network Inc,
mbates@mosaic-network.com
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| Discussant(s):
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| Michael Furlong,
University of California Santa Barbara,
mfurlong@education.ucsb.edu
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| Abstract:
Complex, multisite community evaluations present a number of unique challenges, including difficulties balancing sometimes competing needs and expectations at global and local levels; collecting information across programs diverse with respect to evaluation capacity, programmatic focus, and geographical location; designing and implementing comprehensive evaluation frameworks; and producing and utilizing meaningful results that inform both policy and practice. In this presentation, we will present practical information about our experiences with multisite evaluations from three different perspectives: program evaluation in large urban public school districts; evaluation of international aid and development programs; and evaluation of early childhood initiatives through government-university partnerships. Panelists will discuss how evaluation policies have influenced evaluation practices, how evaluation results have influenced evaluation policies, and the benefits, challenges, and lessons learned in working directly with policy makers and frontline service providers.
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At the Intersection of Policy and Practice in Multisite Evaluation: Perspective from NYC Outward Bound
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| Courtenay Carmody,
Carmody Consulting Evaluation Services,
cc@carmodyconsulting.net
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Following seven years as Director of Research and Evaluation for MOUSE'a national, multisite nonprofit creating opportunities for underserved students Courtenay Carmody launched Carmody Consulting Evaluation Services to provide accountability to funders and constituents in the New York City (NYC) nonprofit sector. Ms. Carmody has worked with NYCOB to establish a means for meaningful, efficient reporting of program outcomes to funders while providing a useful tool that principals can use to improve teaching and learning. In this presentation, she will share her experiences working with NYC Outward Bound's (NYCOB) National Expeditionary Learning model, which improves schools through specific pedagogy, student activities and professional development. She will also discuss the challenges of working with a large urban school district, her experiences integrating participant-, school-, and indicator-level data from multiple external databases into a single coherent system, and some lessons learned implementing NYCOB's data management system in its first year.
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At the Intersection of Policy and Practice in Multisite Evaluation: Perspective from International Aid
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| Todd Nitkin,
Medical Teams International,
tnitkin@medicalteams.org
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Todd Nitkin is WA DC Representative and Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for Medical Teams International an International Aid organization that provides humanitarian relief and development to people affected by disaster, conflict and poverty around the world and chair of the Monitoring and Evaluation working group for the Core Group, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations addressing child survival and maternal health issues worldwide. Dr. Nitkin has helped to adapt and improve the tools and methodologies used for monitoring and evaluation of large multisite international development projects. In this presentation, he will share his experiences working with both funders and direct service providers in the international aid community. He will also discuss the particular challenges of working with the political realities of developing nations, the resulting impact on evaluation policy and practice, and how the focus and scope of multisite evaluation in this field may differ from traditional program evaluation in developed countries.
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At the Intersection of Policy and Practice in Multisite Evaluation: Perspective from Comprehensive Early Childhood Initiatives
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| Michael Bates,
Mosaic Network Inc,
mbates@mosaic-network.com
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Michael Bates is the Director of Research and Evaluation for Mosaic Network, Inc. and has participated in the design and implementation of numerous multisite community evaluations, particularly in the field of early childhood services. Prior to joining Mosaic, Dr. Bates was an Assistant Research Psychologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Evaluation Director for First 5 Santa Barbara County for eight years. In this presentation, he will share his experiences in working with several early childhood initiatives in California and North Carolina in various roles, from helping funders develop strategic plans and establish evaluation policies, to disseminating results to maximize impact on evaluation policy and practice. He will also discuss some of the challenges of working in government-university partnerships, and working with diverse service providers with a range of capacity for evaluation.
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