Evaluation Voices: Promoting evaluation from within programs through collaboration

Abstract

Evaluation Voices collaboratively unites perspectives of program stakeholders, evaluators and network partners to strengthen individual program evaluation strategies. It assumes that programs must build internal evaluation expertise and that programs with similar goals can strengthen their evaluation strategies through cluster networking. To accomplish this, Voices Evaluators guide programs through traditional program evaluation sequences while employing a decision-making process that (a) begins with program stakeholders sharing visions, (b) recognizes current levels of evaluation skill present within programs, (c) identifies barriers to strengthening evaluation, (d) provides training to overcome identified barriers, and (e) generates action plans to determine next steps. The essence and power of the approach centers on collaborative “voices” thoughtfully raised to strengthen individual program evaluations. Rather than assigning program staff and/or an evaluator responsibility for evaluation, program stakeholders benefit from shared experience of evaluators and network partners. This interactive process further permits specific program contexts to mediate the conversation.