Assignment:
Implementing Program Evaluation-Stories From the Field and Practical Application
For this assignment you are required to identify two professionals in the field who were involved in the implementation of a program evaluation for the same site. It is recommended that you interview one program leader and one other stakeholder associated with or impacted by the program evaluation. Select a site in your locality and/or one of particular interest to you. Interviews can be conducted in person, by phone, or internet based video. However, in person interviews are recommended. Feel free to ask additional questions for your own learning.
Interview Questions: Program Evaluation Implementation
1. When did your program go through accreditation?
2. Why did your program decide to seek accreditation? What did you hope to achieve? Have you had other experiences with program evaluation, either internal or external?
Broader: In your experience, what motivates most programs to go through accreditation? In your locality, what incentives are encouraging them to pursue accreditation beyond the benefits they get from a good rating?
3. Was it made clear to you what all the steps of the process would be and what would happen during the visit? What were the biggest challenges in going through the accreditation process-from beginning to end?
Program Leader: What did you as the program leader do to support, motivate, and engage your staff (and the families)?
Stakeholder: Did you feel supported, motivated, and engaged during the process? How? Or Why not?
4. What were the positive aspects of going through the process for your program?
5. What are the biggest challenges programs face, do you think, in going through the accreditation process?
6. What did you learn from the results of the information provided during or after the accreditation visit? How did you use this information? {Probe to see if they revised the curriculum, environment or other components, changed staff, modified staff training, did anything different with families or the community]
7. Summing up your total experience with accreditation, how would you describe it to another program thinking of doing it.Are there any aspects of program quality that you think should be included in accreditation or other evaluations that were not in the accreditation process your program did?