Part 2 is here! As a follow-up to my previous post, “Top Five Considerations when Hiring an External Evaluation Consultant,” here I list the top things an organization should do internally before hiring an evaluator. How can an organization get its own house in order to prepare for an evaluation 1. Know what you need …
Top 5 Things to do Before Hiring an External Evaluator Read More »
A colleague recently advised me to think through what advice I would give to organizations (non-profit, government, foundations, corporate social responsibility departments, etc.) in their search for an external evaluation consultant. Here are my “Top 5” considerations when hiring an external evaluation consultant. Stay tuned for Part 2, “Top ‘To-Dos’ Before Hiring an Evaluation Consultant.” …
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I recently was challenged, “what’s a fight worth fighting?” Much thought goes into my answer: using data to solve community problems, in particular, those related to poverty. As you know from my last blog post, I am a fan of data sharing among and within local governments, and have seen the effectiveness of applying data-driven …
A few months ago, I wrote about data sharing in local governments. Here is that piece: Sharing is something we all learned in kindergarten – how to share our toys, our snacks, our hugs, and our germs. We all probably bought into the spirit of sharing around this age, realizing that with sharing, more good …
Data and Evidence Sharing – The Spirit of our Time Read More »
So far in 2014, I am thrilled to be engaged in two new, but very different ways, to better the world around me. Earlier this year, I was named to the Maricopa Area of Governments (MAG) Continuum of Care Regional Committee on Homelessness. In this position, I am part of a team of Phoenix-area government …
Recently, the American Evaluation Association’s listserve has been aflutter about licensing and certification for evaluators. Most professions have certifications, yet American evaluators do not. Canadian evaluators do, and so do market researchers. Certifications signal to potential clients, employers, and audiences that you have achieved a state of rigor in your field measured by an external …
I have recently been thinking a lot about the use of data to better local governments. In particular, at the county level, where resources are likely scarce, IT upgrades and technology spending can often be lower in the budget priority. Recently, Computerworld magazine awarded the Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board an Editor’s Choice Award for …
“Business” Intelligence for Counties, and Buddhism… Read More »
Market research is one sector that is experiencing a sea change thanks to the availability of big data. Simply put, “big data” in marketing often comprises recordings of consumer interactions. The behaviors and interactions of consumers are collected at each point in the shopping / purchasing process. These interaction data points can then be …
Big Data in Market Research – Not the Only Game in Town Read More »
In the continued vein of how greater availability of bigger data is shaping our daily lives, I was struck by the news of the release of data showing hospital billing rates to Medicare. While most health policy researchers had a sense that disparities in billing amounts for the same services exist, quantifying these stark differences …
This week is the 30-year anniversary of a critical education report, “A Nation at Risk.” This report informed much thought and research, and inspired some national conversations on education standards. But what has changed in the last 30 years? Education Week has a great graphicon with some stunning stats: Poverty rates among children are generally unchanged; …
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