With apologies to child comedians everywhere, when it comes to evaluation, strategies and activities really are two different things. So are outcomes and outputs. It's all a matter of terminology, of becoming familiar with the language of evaluation to get your team -- and keep your project -- on the right track.

In a recent newsletter, we talked about the role & purpose of evaluation. Here, we discuss some terms commonly used in evaluations and what they mean.

Evaluation often starts with a well-constructed logic model, which, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, helps define what to measure during the evaluation. While logic models vary (download our PDF on logic model resources), most describe the following:

Inputs: Whatever you "put into" the project to implement it, namely, plans and resources. Grant money (financial resources) is one input. The Kellogg Foundation also mentions community resources (programs, organizations, and people), organizational resources (e.g., the building used for the program), and human resources (leaders and volunteers). 

Strategies and activities: What you do to "make it all happen" and to achieve project objectives. 

• Strategies are broad approaches, such as capacity building or professional development.
• Activities are carried out to support strategies. They have a beginning and an end; milestones help measure when an activity is completed. Examples include conducting training workshops, hiring professional speakers, and implementing an after-school program.

Outputs: Deliverables, and things that result from activities, such as presentations made at conferences, curricula developed for programs, and numbers of individuals completing a training workshop. Outputs can be counted and may represent a desired impact of the program. Outputs are sometimes confused with outcomes.

Outcomes: Changes in people and systems resulting from project activities and outputs. For instance, are 50% more teachers better prepared to teach a relevant subject? Do students demonstrate improved performance on measures of science knowledge? Have changes in institutional practices led to greater collaboration among departments?

It's important for those who implement your project and those who evaluate it to develop a common language -- and a common understanding -- of the elements of evaluation. Developing a shared language among members of your team will help integrate evaluation into the fabric of your project.

Visit our evaluation page on the GrantProse website to learn more about our evaluation services and experience.

Better late than never

A new paper from the  National Bureau of Economic Research presents evidence that, even late in the game, interventions can encourage high school students to enroll in college. A study examined the effect of college coaching on high school students who counselors believed were ready to give up on applying to college. Participation in the program resulted in a significant increase in the number of women enrolling in college, but not men. Read the synopsis on What Works Clearinghouse.

Evaluation tips

The Regional Educational Laboratory-Central provides a number of resources to help educators and policy makers. The PDF MSP Evaluation: Some Tips for Getting it Right is geared toward evaluations of the U.S. Department of Education's Mathematics and Science Partnerships Program, but it has plenty of information applicable to non-MSP evaluations, such as constructing a logic model, evaluation problems, prioritizing evaluation questions, and defining goals and objectives in measurable terms.