Evaluating System Change Initiatives

Advancing the Need for Adapting Evaluation Practices

Authors

  • Cheryl Poth Centre for Applied Measurement and Evaluation, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
  • Jacqueline Pei Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
  • Erin Atkinson Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
  • Tara Hanson Alberta Centre for Child, Family, and Community Research

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.263

Keywords:

complex evaluations, outcomes evaluation, systems-level evaluation

Abstract

This article describes key challenges experienced and addressed during the evaluation of the Government of Alberta’s 10-Year Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Strategic Plan (2007–2017). The purpose was to understand how the strategic plan was progressing toward outcomes at the fifth year of its implementation. Following a description of the system change initiative and evaluation context, an account of key challenges for one outcome is presented, including attempts to address and the effects on the evaluation. The implications for evaluation practice focused on encouraging evaluation participation and enhancing usefulness of data highlight the need for infrastructure to support evaluation of system change initiatives.

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Published

2016-11-21

How to Cite

Poth, C., Pei, J., Atkinson, E., & Hanson, T. (2016). Evaluating System Change Initiatives: Advancing the Need for Adapting Evaluation Practices. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 31(2), 242–252. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.263

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 2 (2016): Fall

Section

Research and Practice Notes

License

Copyright (c) 2016 Cheryl Poth, Jacqueline Pei, Erin Atkinson, Tara Hanson

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