Use your logic model to develop relevant evaluation questions

An effective evaluation needs focus. Given your limited resources, what do you really need to know to understand your program’s effect? Once your investments, activities, and desired outcomes are mapped onto a logic model, it is easier to define evaluation questions. What objectives are you trying to achieve? What cause-and-effect relationships are you expecting?

Resources

VIGNETTE Uncovering Authentic Questions for Evaluation (.pdf 146.2 KB)

Reflect on one approach to eliciting genuine questions for program evaluation to help determine your own evaluation focus.

TOOL Generating Questions for Three Types of Magnet Evaluation (.doc 110 KB)

Use the outputs and outcomes from your logic model to develop the evaluation questions most relevant to your program needs.

TOOL Checklist: Developing High-Quality Evaluation Questions (.doc 107 KB)

Check your questions against these high-quality criteria to ensure a more relevant and useful evaluation.

SAMPLE MATERIAL Generic Evaluation Questions From One Program’s Logic Model (.pdf 599.1 KB)

Review this overview and sample logic model for ideas about how to identify important questions to address in your evaluation.

SAMPLE MATERIAL Evaluation Questions That Are Aligned With Program Objectives (.pdf 226.6 KB)

This table outlines evaluation questions, data sources, and data collection methods for each of five program objectives and is one approach for aligning questions to a program logic model.

Extra Resources for MSAP Rigorous Evaluation

Review these sample evaluation questions from MSAP grantees to see how impact evaluation questions are framed in various contexts.

Do students attending magnet schools make greater achievement gains than similar students attending conventional schools? If any differences are found, what is the magnitude of the difference in achievement gains between magnet and non-magnet students?
Do magnet schools produce greater achievement benefits for NCLB-defined subpopulations of students than non-magnet schools?
Does the magnet program result in closing the performance gaps between students from minority and non-minority backgrounds at a faster rate than at non-magnet comparison schools?

REMEMBER

A logic model can be used as a map to guide your next steps in evaluation. With this backwards planning approach, your evaluation design has intentional connections between desired outcomes, evaluation questions, and appropriate measures instead of a random string of data collection ideas and activities.

PITFALL

Don’t be distracted by all the things people may want to know about your magnet program. Subquestions will emerge naturally from the evaluation process, but avoid “evaluation wander” if you want useful findings. Stay focused on the primary questions that relate to your program’s most important objectives.