| Session Title: How to Prepare for the Evaluation of Community Change Initiatives and Other Nearly Impossible Tasks |
| Think Tank Session 299 to be held in Sebastian Section I2 on Thursday, Nov 12, 1:40 PM to 3:10 PM |
| Sponsored by the Cluster, Multi-site and Multi-level Evaluation TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| David Chavis, Community Science, dchavis@communityscience.com |
| Tom Kelly, Annie E Casey Foundation, tkelly@aecf.org |
| Astrid Hendricks, The California Endowment, ahendricks@calendow.org |
| Discussant(s): |
| Tom Kelly, Annie E Casey Foundation, tkelly@aecf.org |
| Astrid Hendricks, The California Endowment, ahendricks@calendow.org |
| Abstract: Community Change Initiatives (CCI's) have gained popularity because so many of our society's core social problems (e.g. poverty, poor education and health, and inadequate systems of care) find their root causes in community and larger systems. Little practical advice on design and management of these initiatives is available. This think tank will be designed to discuss practical questions evaluators must answer before embarking on this unique and highly complex type of evaluation. Two CCI case studies will initially be presented: Making Connections (Annie E. Casey Foundation) and Building Healthy Communities (The California Endowment). Using these case studies, small groups will be asked predetermined questions such as: What is the theory of these CCI's and what methods do you use to test these theories? How do you build realistic expectations? What do you measure when there is so much? |