Evaluation Resource List
Note: Any resource list is out of date as soon as it is published! While every effort has been made to insure that the following information is accurate, users may need in some cases to be creative in tracking down the references. As a simple example, if a website address is no longer valid, an internet search on the organization name might direct a user to the new site.
WEBSITES
Corporation for Supportive Housing
At this website, a cross-section of research and evaluation materials on the value, outcomes and cost-effectiveness of supportive housing is presented, including downloadable do-it-yourself guides, reports on studies of family permanent housing programs, copies of state-specific evaluations and general information on how to evaluate costs of supportive housing versus individual services.
The Evaluation Center,Western Michigan University
This website provides a searchable “Evaluation Center Library,” which contains over 4,500 publications, as well as checklists, glossaries, bibliographies, directories, instructional manuals, evaluation reports, resource listings and other materials.
The Evaluation Center at HSRI
Funded by SAMHSA, the Center creates and disseminates toolkits and materials to give users access to current evaluation approaches. The Center also publishes “Evaluation FastFacts,” which are 2-3 page briefings on new and current mental health services evaluations, resources and methods, and TECScripts, which are transcripts of online discussions about specific topics related to program evaluation. The Center also provides technical assistance consultation, conferences, multicultural consultation and an e-Community to foster information exchange.
The Evaluation Exchange
Hosted by Harvard Family Research Project, this website provides a range of evaluation information and research, and provides a number of resources, including research and news publications, and an online newsletter.
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Roadmap
This “roadmap” lays out the contours of evaluation and dissemination to maximize practical applications of the evaluation process and demonstrate the “value added” of a project.
Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension
This website provides a listing of professional associations, instructive resources, newsletters and directories, as well as 84 evaluation tipsheets on a variety of topics including process evaluation, introducing an evaluation, types of accountability data, measuring barriers to change and measuring intentions.
Planning and Evaluation Resource Center
PERC’s website provides information and tools, resources and tutorials to help organizations and individuals design and develop evaluation plans that will reflect their organizations’ values, mission and goals.
University of Wisconsin - Division of Cooperative Extension Program Development and Evaluation Unit
The website provides quick tips, evaluation publications, human subjects protection education, logic models, evaluation studies, evaluation instruments, and evaluation curriculum - most of which are in PDF format. Workshops and presentations also are offered, as are online evaluation courses.
NEWSLETTERS
The Evaluation Center News
This newsletter is provided online in PDF format, and it provides news and information about current projects and activities at The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University.
The Evaluation Exchange
This online journal provides a range of evaluation information and research, and offers a forum for dialogue among key stakeholders. Recent issues include information on building and evaluating out-of-school time connections, how to use evaluation results and supporting the use of data.
BOOKS
Fetterman, D.M., & Wandersman, A. (Eds.) (2004). Empowerment evaluation: Principles in Practice. New York: Guilford Press.
This book outlines the principles that should guide an empowerment evaluation and explains how these principles can be put into practice. The ten principles of empowerment evaluation are provided and illustrated through case studies of diverse evaluation projects.
Fink, A. (2004). Evaluation fundamentals: Insights into the outcomes, effectiveness and quality of health programs (Second Edition). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
This book is written for students and professional evaluators, and emphasizes outcomes, effectiveness and quality of evaluations. The author presents basic concepts and vocabulary necessary to understand and develop effective evaluation plans.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation (1998). W.K. Kellogg Foundation evaluation handbook. Battle Creek, MI: Author.
Offered in two parts, the Handbook may serve as a framework for effective program evaluation, beginning with the earliest design and planning stages, through conducting an evaluation and presenting a final report.
Kochhar, C., & Backer, T. (no date). Creating and sustaining project impact: Guidelines for evaluation and dissemination. New York: Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation.
This publication lays out the contours of evaluation and dissemination by providing a set of evaluation guidelines and exploring the term “value added” as a way of expressing desired change, and evaluation as a first step in ongoing improvement. A glossary of relevant terms, as well as guidelines for the complete evaluation process, are provided.
Wholey, J.S., Hatgry, H.P., & Newcomer, K.E. (Eds.) (2004). Handbook of practical program evaluation. (Second Edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
The Handbook offers a resource that outlines methods for assessing program results, and identifying ways to improve program performance. It covers both in-depth program evaluations and performance monitoring, and presents evaluation planning and implementation methods that can be used at all levels of government and nonprofit organizations.
ARTICLES/BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Cousins, J.B. (1995) Participatory evaluation: Enhancing evaluation use and organizational learning capacity. The Evaluation Exchange, Special Issue on Participatory Evaluation, (1):3/4.
This article discusses the participatory form of program evaluation, which involves program developers and staff in the evaluation process; suggestions about how to design and implement a participatory evaluation are offered.
Fetterman, D.M. (1996). Empowerment evaluation in theory. The Evaluation Exchange Periodical, Harvard Family Research Project, Volume II, No. 2, Fall 1996.
Empowerment evaluation is an innovative approach to evaluation, which has been used extensively by nonprofit corporations and foundations, as well as by higher education and government. This article summarizes the theory behind empowerment evaluation and offers a few pragmatic steps.
Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. (1996). The working group on homeless health outcomes meeting proceedings. Bethesda, MD: Author.
The 1996 Working Group on Homeless Health Outcomes meetingwas the first step in a multi-stage process to develop outcome measures specific to homeless health care. This document offers the proceedings of that meeting.
Innovation Network (no date). Evaluation workbook: Logic model & evaluation training materials. Washington, DC: Author.
This workbook is intended as an introduction to the concepts and processes of program evaluation for nonprofits, and presents evaluation as a tool for empowerment. It focuses on developing an evaluation plan and designing a data collection strategy.
Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program (MHSIP) (1996). The MHSIP consumer-oriented mental health report card: The final report of the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program task force on a consumer-oriented mental health report card. Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services.
This document is a prototype consumer-oriented report card designed to assess the quality and cost of mental health and substance abuse services. Suggested report card formats are included as an appendix to this report.
National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness (2004). Bibliography: Program evaluation. Bethesda, MD: Author. The bibliography is available in PDF format at:
This extensive bibliography provides a listing of articles and other resources available from local and university libraries. The Resource Center also will assist interested individuals in obtaining copies of these resources, many of which are available directly from NRC.
Paine, K.D., & Bender, D.H. (2001). A non-profit builds a Dashboard that belongs in every boardroom: The Habitat for Humanity case study. Silver Spring, MD: The Communications Network (an internet paper published at
This article presents a step-by-step summary of how one nonprofit, Habitat for Humanity, responded to its need for credibility and accountability through use of a data gathering and reporting device known as a “Dashboard.”
Patton, M.Q. (1996). Utilization-focused evaluation: The new century text (3rd Edition). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
This text is based on the premise that evaluations shuld be judged by their utility and actual use. Evaluation designers, planners and implementers should therefore carefully consider everything that is done, from beginning to end, in terms of its eventual use.
Policy Studies Associates and Nellie Mae Education Foundation (2003). “A” is for assessment: A primer on program evaluation. Published on the website of the National School Boards Association at:
This guide was developed to help practitioners and others strengthen educational programs, but can be useful in a variety of areas. It covers such topics as developing a theory of change, types of evaluation strategies, measuring outcomes and obtaining adequate response rates.
Trevisan, M.S., & Huang, Y.M. (2003). Evaluability assessment: A primer. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 8(20). Found at:
This paper was written to increase awareness among practitioners and policy makers about the use of evaluability assessments and to promote its use.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development (2006). Report to Congress: Fifth progress report on HUD’s strategy for improving homeless data collection, reporting and analysis. Washington, DC: Author. Found at: .
This report on the Year 2005 focuses on the Department’s efforts to provide financial assistance and technical assistance for homeless management information systems. HMISs are described and case studies from adopting states are provided.
University of Massachusetts, Boston. (2001). Homeless management information systems: An indepth look. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Agencies providing services to homeless individuals are increasingly being required to submit data to a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). HMISs enable regional and county mental health and substance abuse agencies to track individual consumers, so that services can be provided seamlessly and without duplication.
SAMHSA Blueprint for Change1
Evaluating Results11/21/07