Outcome Evaluation
Outcome evaluation provides agencies and their stakeholders with important information about how well a program is meeting its goals. Many agencies collect outcome information, often as a part of contract and grant requirements. Outcomes really begin with your program’s story. What do you do? Who do you serve? What difference does the program make? One story might be:
We discovered that there were over 200 2nd and 3rd graders who didn’t have lunch or lunch money. They snacked on what they could get, or did without. They were hungry by afternoon. Our agency, Food First, partnered with the schools and two nearby delis. We arranged to pay for lunches on an invoice basis. Students were on a list and were able to pick up lunches without been identified publicly. The lunch program has been active now for one and a half school years. We have talked with students and teachers, and some parents. The feedback if very positive. And having a nutritious lunch has helped the students academically and socially.
The Logic Model, developed by United Way of America and the Urban Institute, is one of the most straightforward of outcome frameworks. It places a focus on what happens as a result of program activities. In this case, the children at risk are identified and given school lunches. This reduces hunger, and allows them to be more engaged in their school activities in the afternoon.
The Logic Model uses the following framework for outcome evaluation:
Inputs Activities Outcomes
The basic message in this Logic Model is very simple: Hungry children will do better in school if they can have lunch. There are certain activities that can be developed to provide lunches for students at risk. And, one would expect to see improvements in attitude, behavior and school attention and performance based on having a nutritious lunch. As outcome evaluation becomes integrated into programs, staff can begin to show the impact of programs, and use outcome evaluation to develop fund raising case statements.
Once the broad parameters of the Logic Model are developed, then, there are a few additional activities to finishing building the outcome framework. Outcomes are usually framed as 1) initial, 2) intermediate and 3) long term. Good measurements of initial outcomes help program staff know what is working well, and what needs to change. In this instance, initial outcomes could be that students eat the lunches provided and report they feel better. Intermediate outcomes are those that show after someone has been in the program for awhile, so these could be that students are more attentive in class, make better grades, and get in trouble less often. Long term outcomes would include things like students staying in school, maintaining better health.
Initial outcomes are controlled a great deal by the agency activities. Intermediate outcomes are shaped by the agency activities as well as other forces, such as the teachers and their skills. Long term outcomes are shaped in large part by a range of factors, and the agency’s initial activities are contributory factors. So, this Food First project might focus on the following:
- Students identified and involved
- Students eat lunch regularly and develop good eating habits
- Students improve in their nutrition and are no longer hungry at school
- Student attitudes, behavior and school performance improve.
Looking at initial outcomes, the focus is on making sure the students get their lunches and are able to eat lunch on a regular basis. Therefore the program will look at its activities to make sure it has in place things that can demonstrate those outcomes are being met. Having sign in sheets and places for students of all types to go and eat comfortably would be important. Being able to provide lunches that students will eat is another important issue.
Agency staff will want to take the most important of those and use them as outcome indicators. In other words, the list of students provides an indicator of progress, and one can measure the names and numbers daily, and cumulatively. This lets the program know that students are getting lunches (not necessarily eating them). What are some indicators that an outcome is being met?
