Evaluation

Community change is a very slow process.  Repeated assessments of community conditions over time helps guide our work with concerned community members.  Evaluations of changes in community conditions provides the opportunity to correct our course or modify plans as we proceed.  For these reasons, the our evaluation questions seek to identify incremental changes over specific time periods, reflected below. 

Short term evaluation questions generally ask about specific events or activities including:

• Did we do what we said we were going to do?  Did we implement as planned?
• How many community members were involved in the effort?  Who was missing?

Is the policy or intervention being implemented and enforced as planned? Medium term questions generally involve “how much� or how many� prevention efforts were provided.

• How many prevention messages were sent and who received them? How many times were these message repeated to our audience?
• How many licenses or permits have been issued?
• What percentage of stores are selling illegal drug paraphernalia or tobacco products to minors
• How many cigarette butts were found in the park, community college or healthcare campus,
• How many Drug Paraphernalia Retailers are open for business in a community?

Long term evaluation questions usually ask what changes have occurred across the community over time as a result of a community prevention campaign, such as:

• How many people consider themselves a daily smoker??
• How many Driving Under the Influence citations were issued?
• How easy does a young person think it is to obtain alcohol, tobacco or another drug?
• How many licensed liquor establishments are in a community?
• How has the rate of youth use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana or other drugs changed?