Program Evaluation

The Innovation Center seeks, tests, and promotes innovative methods for involving youth and community members in evaluation processes. With our project partners, we bring together the best practical tools for evaluating youth development outcomes. We develop methods and tools specific to communities of interest and learn by evaluating and reflecting on our own work. We then share resources, effective tools, and our experience with others.

Innovation Center partners both learn from and contribute to our work. Areas of focus include:

• developing logic models or “theories of change” that link evaluation, program activities, and youth development frameworks;
• providing more representative qualitative information;
• measuring outcomes;
• developing accountability and continuous improvement systems;
• increasing capacity to store, analyze, report, and track outcome data.