"Honest, informative, and research-supported."
- Jo-Ann Wangh
Littleton, MA
Outcome-Based Evaluation Institute
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Wednesday, November 1, 2006
2007 Pre-Conference Institutes TBA (Below is a description of a 2006 program)
Today, community arts education organizations must demonstrate their value in measurable ways in order to secure government and foundation support. To that end, outcomes-based evaluation methods are far and away the tools of choice. Donors of all types look seriously at outcome assessments in making difficult grant decisions. Simply put, outcome based evaluation tools enable cultural organizations to be more competitive.
Outcome-based evaluation—a systematic method of determining whether a program is achieving its intended results—has other pragmatic benefits as well. Most importantly, it enables you to assess the effects of an arts education program on students and to improve program planning and implementation.
Outcome-based evaluation provides precise answers to critical questions including:
How has our program changed or improved the skills, behaviors, or attitudes of our students?
How has our program benefited our community?
What has been the impact of grant funds used to support our program?
During the Institute, you’ll learn how to apply a logic model to develop a program evaluation plan, identify appropriate instruments to collect measurable outcome data, and develop methods for responding to evaluation results.
The highly interactive training includes exercises during which you will develop a program evaluation plan in consensus with team members. As a participant, you’ll also receive a comprehensive manual on the principles of outcome-based evaluation as well as sample materials to use back home with colleagues and partners.
Institute Presenter
Claudia B. Horn is President and CEO of Performance Results, Inc., a management-consulting firm specializing in results-focused evaluation, performance assessment and outcomes measurement. PRI’s extensive client list includes the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, National Dance Education Organization, U.S. Department of Justice, the D.C. Arts & Humanities Education Collaborative, and the American Association of Museums. The firm also has extensive experience working with community-based organizations.
Ms. Horn has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of education and training. For the past 10 years, she has provided evaluation research, technical assistance and training in outcomes measurement, community needs assessment, team-building and strategic planning through her work with PRI. She lives in suburban Maryland with her husband and two daughters.