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Evaluating Policy and Advocacy Outcomes: Using Systems Change to Evaluate Environmental Policies to Reduce Disparities
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| Presenter(s):
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| Mary Kreger,
University of California San Francisco,
mary.kreger@ucsf.edu
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| Claire Brindis,
University of California San Francisco,
claire.brindis@ucsf.edu
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| Dana Hughes,
University of California San Francisco,
dana.hughes@ucsf.edu
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| Simran Sabherwal,
University of California San Francisco,
simran.sabherwal@uscf.edu
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| Katherine Sargent,
University of California San Francisco,
katherine.sargent@uscf.edu
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| Christine MacFarlane,
University of California San Francisco,
cgmacfarlane@sbcglobal.net
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| Annalisa Robles,
The California Endowment,
arobles@calendow.org
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| Marion Standish,
The California Endowment,
mstandish@calendow.org
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| Abstract:
Communities and foundations engaged in policy and advocacy change can employ systems change outcomes analysis to assess capacity; define individual, group, institutional changes, and strategic partnerships; and policy, media, funding, and systems outcomes to refine their strategies and goals. This prevention policy analysis uses six years of data on policy outcomes in housing, schools and outdoor air quality to demonstrate the methods employed in local, regional, and statewide advocacy and policy evaluation. Policy and systems change concepts are discussed as they related to structural changes across multiple sectors of communities. Examples of communities leveraging their resources to create sustainable policies are included to provide maximum accessibility to relevant lessons. These include the types of collaborative strategies that were and were not successful and the use of media messages used to support policies related to environmental risk factors. These methods can maximize the successes for evaluators involved in policy advocacy.
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Accountability and No Child Left Behind: Implications for Evaluation and Public Policy
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| Presenter(s):
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| Cindy Roper,
Clemson University,
cgroper@clemson.edu
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| Abstract:
This paper utilizes organization theory to examine the role of accountability and evaluation in public policy. It explores various criteria for effective accountability and uses a case study to examine the implementation of performance assessment in a national program. The paper then discusses the implications of how accountability impacts program performance and offers suggestions for improvements and future research.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was developed to raise achievement levels of students in American schools. It targets those students who are especially at risk; minorities, low-income students, those with limited English proficiency and students with disabilities. The guiding theory behind this legislation is that of continuous educational improvement through accountability. As a case study, NCLB provides an opportunity to demonstrate organization theory as a viable and valuable tool for evaluation.
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