Program Evaluation Resources

This page provides a repository of Program Evaluation tools and resources from outside of EPA. These tools can be used to conduct evaluations and come from a variety of sources, including other federal agencies and evaluation organizations.

Federal Evaluation

All federal agencies are expected to use performance information to strengthen programs. The federal government has therefore pushed for a greater emphasis on evaluations to prove what is working and what is not. Program evaluations can help EPA meet these expectations and comply with federal policies such as those outlined by the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

• Evaluation.gov
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
• Government Accountability Office (GAO)
• Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRA)

Evaluation Guides and Tools

These evaluation guides and tools are from other federal Agencies. They discuss principles and provide instructions for conducting program evaluations or creating performance measures.

• Introduction to Program Evaluation for Public Health Programs: A Self-Study Guide is a “how to” guide for planning and implementing evaluation activities. The manual, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health, is intended to assist managers and staff of public, private, and community public health programs to plan, design, implement and use comprehensive evaluations in a practical way.
• Practical Evaluation Using the CDC Evaluation Framework — The National Asthma Control Program, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, has created a four-part Webinar series on program evaluation basics. Nationally recognized experts present a general introduction to program evaluation; note challenges in conducting useful evaluations as well as methods for overcoming those challenges; and introduce the six steps of the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation using examples that are relevant to state partners of the National Asthma Control Program.
• The Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation — the Administration for Children and Families has developed The Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation to explain program evaluation — what it is, how to understand it, and how to do it. It answers questions about evaluation and explains how to use evaluation to improve programs and benefit staff and stakeholders.
• User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation — The National Science Foundation has developed this report to detail how to do an evaluation.
• Program Evaluation Glossary — Glossary that reflects the meaning of the evaluation terminology from both the social scientist's and the practitioner's point of view.

Professional Organizations

The following links exit the EPA site to external partners, professional organizations, and associations.

• American Evaluators Association (AEA) - an international, professional association of evaluators. The AEA sponsors an annual evaluation conference and supports an Environmental Program Evaluation Topical Interest Group (EPE TIG).
• Association for Public Policy Analysis and Managements (APPAM) — a non-profit organization that works to improve public policy and management through research, analysis, and education.
• Conservation Measures Partnership — a partnership of conservation organizations that seek better ways to design, manage, and measure the impacts of their conservation actions. CMP offers a variety of tools to assist programs as they undertake these efforts.
• Environmental Evaluator's Network (EEN) — an international organization, comprised of environmental evaluators and evaluation consumers, that seeks to further the field of environmental evaluation.
• National Academy of Public Administration — consults with government and private foundations on a variety of aspects of public management, including evaluation and performance measurement.