Getting to Impact: Using the Evaluation Standard to Measure Results

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I serve on a local nonprofit foundation board that awards grants to community organizations that sponsor programs to discourage teen pregnancy. Over the years, the foundation has developed research-based rubrics for scoring grant applications. But recently, board members noted that agencies seeking funding don't describe the impact of their program on the youth they serve.

During a visit to one of the foundation's grant recipients, I was reminded of NSDC's standard on evaluation: Staff development that improves the learning of all students uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact.

The agency I visited has had a program for nine …