When we conduct an evaluation, everything we do reflects our own cultural values and perspectives—from the evaluation purpose, the questions we develop, and the methodologies we select to our interpretation
Overview You will develop a short—no more than 3 pages—description of a program designed to address a problem a human service organization can solve. Your program description should include a problem statement supported by data, relevant history, policy, program context, stated program goals and objectives, and core program activities.
As you develop your program and evaluation plan, you should use a cultural competence lens.
"When we conduct an evaluation, everything we do reflects our own cultural values and perspectives—from the evaluation purpose, the questions we develop, and the methodologies we select to our interpretation of the findings and the recommendations we make based on those findings. Because culture is influenced by many characteristics (i.e., race, ethnicity, language, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, education, and experience), it is important that we stop and reflect on our own culture before embarking on an evaluation. To conduct culturally competent evaluations, we must learn and appreciate each program's cultural context and acknowledge that we may view and interpret the world differently from many evaluation stakeholders" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014, p. 3).
Describe the human service topic you are interested in examining. Find a minimum of five scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles on your topic. Describe the problems or issues in the community or specific area that needs to be addressed as it relates to the human service topic you described. Include an overview of the human service problem or issue using supporting national/local data. In this program development, you will need to support your topic choice with data from national professional organization web sources or reports from such as the CDC, SAMHSA, HUD, National Center for Homeless Education, National Center for Preventing Homelessness, National Foster Youth Institute, National Center for Children and Families, Child Welfare Information Gateway, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Census Bureau, and/or any number of other professional organizations relevant to your topic. Find patterns of claims you can make based on the data or literature, state the reasons for the claim, and provide evidence supporting those reasons. Based on the findings, write a problem statement. Develop a plan to address this problem. (An alternative to developing a program from scratch is to identify and adopt evidence-based programs that have proven effective. To do this, begin by reflecting on your organization's characteristics and identifying programs that could serve as the basis of the program evaluation.) Describe strategies to address this problem. Find a minimum of five scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles discussing strategies to address your identified problem and use them to support your proposed program plan. Develop program goal(s) outlining who will benefit from your program, what benefits they will receive, and when they will be achieved. Develop objectives to support the program goal. Link all the above together and write a clear description of your problem, how it will be addressed, and the goals and objectives that will get you to the desired outcome. Be sure to assess and highlight any disparities identified. Reference Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Practical strategies for culturally competent evaluation. https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/program_eval/cultural_competence_guide.pdf
Instructions Use the information in the above overview to write a short—no more than 3 pages—description of a program designed to address a problem a human service organization can solve and include the following:
Provide a compelling description of the proposed program including data and other supporting evidence. Synthesize evidence from scholarly articles to support the proposed program. Apply data to identify and support the need for a program. Integrate culturally responsive elements in a proposed program. Additional Requirements Written communication: Write concisely and directly, using active voice. Length: No more than 3 double-spaced pages, including graphics. Format: Use current APA style and format for references and in-text citations. Visit the Advanced Doctoral Learners section of the Writing Center for guidance. Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
