1.
Perspective on Evaluation <ul><li>We don’t have the evaluation recipe. </li></ul><ul><li>There is no one right answer – life is ambiguous. </li></ul><ul><li>Evaluation is a paradigm of choices. </li></ul><ul><li>Stakeholder involvement is helpful for acceptance, usefulness. </li></ul><ul><li>Things will not always go according to plan. </li></ul><ul><li>Four primary characteristics of good evaluation: utility, feasibility, propriety, accuracy </li></ul>

2.
The National Farm to School Network Evaluation: Questions, Perspectives, Lessons Learned Phyllis Fleming, PhD Evaluation Director Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention University of North Carolina Taking Root: National Farm to Cafeteria Conference May 17, 2010

3.
Evaluation Questions <ul><li>Effectiveness of the National Farm to School Network related to five priorities </li></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Marketing & media </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Training and technical assistance </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Networking </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Information development and dissemination </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Policy </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><li>Impact of four local programs on consumption of F & V, children’s attitudes, school food service operation, farmers and community </li></ul>

4.
Multi-Method Design <ul><li>Logic models </li></ul><ul><li>Methods </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Q1 - Web-based template administered quarterly </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Q2 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>School Lunch Recall (paper/pencil) – 2 sites </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Fruit/Vegetable Neophobia Scale (paper/pencil) – 2 sites </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Knowledge Scale – 1 site </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Interviews – farmers, school food service personnel, teachers, school district leadership, grass roots organizers, farm to school advocates - 4 sites </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>School food service data – 1 site </li></ul></ul></ul>

5.
Lessons learned <ul><li>Evaluation - a necessary evil? </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Help program people understand their/your role </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Written approval to do evaluations (IRB). </li></ul><ul><li>Formal commitment from those who will provide data. </li></ul><ul><li>Working your way into the school day. </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Be clear/specific upfront about what you need. </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Cooperation and response rates. </li></ul><ul><li>Networking. </li></ul>

6.
Lessons learned <ul><li>Validation of tools. </li></ul><ul><li>Minimizing the data collection burden. </li></ul><ul><li>When you learn things you wish you had not. </li></ul><ul><li>Nice to know or need to know. </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Have plans to use all of the data that you collect. </li></ul></ul><ul><li>When things don’t go as planned. </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Be flexible. </li></ul></ul><ul><li>As evaluator, you may not be the most popular person in the room. </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Be clear about what your role is. </li></ul></ul>