PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES FOR
FEDERAL
PROGRAM
EVALUATION
PROCEEDINGS OF A WORKSHOP
Jordyn M. White, Rapporteur
Steering Committee on Principles and Practices
for Federal Program Evaluation
Committee on National Statistics
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
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This activity was supported by contract number HHSP233201400020B between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE); U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); Institute for Education Sciences (IES); U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB); and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Support for the work of the Committee on National Statistics is provided by a consortium of federal agencies through a grant from the National Science Foundation (award number SES-1024012). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-46275-4
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-46275-4
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/24831
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Principles and Practices for Federal Program Evaluation: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/24831.
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STEERING COMMITTEE ON PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES FOR FEDERAL PROGRAM EVALUATION
GROVER J. WHITEHURST (Chair), The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC
JUDITH M. GUERON, MDRC, New York
REBECCA A. MAYNARD, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania
MARTHA MOOREHOUSE, Independent Consultant, Los Altos, CA
HOWARD ROLSTON, Independent Consultant, Arlington, VA
WILLIAM J. SABOL, Westat, Inc., Rockville, MD
JORDYN M. WHITE, Study Director
CONSTANCE F. CITRO, Board Director
CYNTHIA THOMAS, Senior Program Officer
MICHAEL SIRI, Program Coordinator
COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS
ROBERT M. GROVES (Chair), Department of Mathematics and Statistics and Department of Sociology, Georgetown University
FRANCINE BLAU, Department of Economics, Cornell University
MARY ELLEN BOCK, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
ANNE C. CASE, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
MICHAEL E. CHERNEW, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School
JANET CURRIE, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
DONALD A. DILLMAN, Department of Sociology, Washington State University
CONSTANTINE GATSONIS, Center for Statistical Sciences, Brown University
JAMES S. HOUSE, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social research, University of Michigan
THOMAS L. MESENBOURG, U.S. Census Bureau (Retired)
SUSAN A. MURPHY, Department of Statistics, University of Michigan
SARAH M. NUSSER, Department of Statistics, Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology, Iowa State University
COLM A. O’MUIRCHEARTAIGH, Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, The University of Chicago
JEROME P. REITER, Department of Statistical Science, Duke University
ROBERTO RIGOBON, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JUDITH A. SELTZER, Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles
EDWARD H. SHORTLIFFE, Columbia University and Arizona State University
BRIAN HARRIS-KOJETIN, Director
Acknowledgments
This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings: Ruth Levine, Global Development and Population Program, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Mark D. Shroder, Research, Evaluation, and Monitoring, U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by Janet Currie, Department of Economics and Center for Health and Well-Being, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. She was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteur and the National Academies.
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Contents
Bringing Federal Evaluation to the Forefront
Drawing upon Examples from the Federal Statistical System
Impetus for a Workshop and Workshop Charge
2 THE EVOLUTION OF FEDERAL EVALUATION
Federal Evaluation, with Thick Skin
How Far We Have Come: “The Inevitable March of Science” or an Ongoing Struggle?
3 THE STANDARD BEARERS OF FEDERAL EVALUATION
Administration for Children and Families
Institute of Education Sciences
Millennium Challenge Corporation
4 REFINING THE TRICKS OF THE TRADE
