Outcome Measurement Resource Network

Outcome Measurement Resource Network

Resource Library

Program Outcome Measurement Resources

Concepts, Theories, Issues and Case Studies
Strategies, Tools, Methods

Concepts, Theories, Issues and Case Studies

Accountable Good: Program Evaluation in the Nonprofit Sector. 68 pp., 1999. Rachel A. Spiegel.: Describes the program's shift toward "hard" (quantifiable) metrics, the benefits of otucome measurement, the challenges of outcome management, and key steps in implementing an outcome discipline. Click on Service Corps Research
Administration of Children and Families (ACF) Child Outcomes Research and Evaluation. Publications and Reports.: Downloadable publications and reports focusing on child outcomes, including the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being, the National Evaluation of Family and Support Programs, and other related resources such as the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information and the Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation.
Agency Experiences with Outcome Measurement: Survey Results.16 pp., 2000. United Way of America, Alexandria, VA.: Reports the findings of a survey of 298 agencies in six communities regarding both positive and negative effects of program outcome measurement as well as barriers to and supports for using the results.
An Agenda for Action: Outcome Management in Non-Profit Organizations. 21 pp., 2000. Harry Hatry and Linda Lampkin. Order from the Urban Institute Press: Report from a Symposium on Outcome Measurement for Nonprofit Organizations organized by the Urban Institute in Washington, DC. Describes actions by funders, national service organizations, local service providers, and other nonprofit groups that can help enable the sector to better measure outcomes and use the resulting data to help improve services.
Educational Achievement Outcomes (excerpt from the Edna Clark Foundation Youth Development Outcomes Compendium) 129 pp.: Discusses the Edna McConnel Clark Foundation's focus on educational outcomes and describes in detail those outcomes.
Guide to Program Outcome Measurement for the US Department of Education. Urban Institute Research Paper. 43 pp., Reprint, 1998. Harry Hatry and Mary Kopczynski, The Urban Institute, Washington, DC.
Impact on Children in Experimental Studies of Welfare-to-Work Programs. 87 pp., 2001. Martha Zaslow, Jennifer L. Brooks, Kristin A. Moore, Pamela Morris, Kathryn Tout, Zakia Redd. Washington D.C.: Child Trends.: Discusses how welfare reform has affected children. Key conclusions are represented based on an analysis of national trend data and rigorous experimental studies that Child Trends and others have carried out.
Introducing Outcomes: Basic Definitions and Concepts in Program Outcome Measurement. (Video) 1999. United Way of America, Alexandria, VA.: A 23-minute video. Describes key outcome measurement terms, the difference between outputs and outcomes, using a logic model to map the connections among various program components, the lonk between United Way funding and program outcomes, and relationships of program outcomes and community impact.
Logic Models in Real Life: After School at the YWCA of Asheville. The Evaluation Exchange, Vol. VII, No. 2, page 13-14. Spring 2001. Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.: Describes the experience of the YWCA of Asheville in measuring the outcomes of its programs with the active involvement of the local United Way that funds those programs. It depicts how participants in this activity supported each other in developing logic models, outcome measurement frameworks and measurement tools for their agencies and programs.
Look at Outcome Measurement in Nonprofit Agencies. 2000. Elaine Morley, Elisa Winson, and Harry Hatry. The Urban Institute, Washington, DC.
Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers/ Big Sisters. 58 pp. 2000. Joseph Tierney and Jean Crossman.: Provides scientifically reliable evidence that mentoring programs can positively affect young people. This evidence derives from research conducted at local affiliates of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America (BB/BSA).
Managing the Transition to Outcome-Based Planning and Evaluation. 42 pp., 1998. Judith Clegg, Dawn Hanson Smart, Jane Reisman, and Barbara Gurley. The Evaluation Forum, Seattle, WA.: Helps you manage the changes involved in adopting an outcome-based system (changes in thinking, staffing, and record keeping). Also helps you overcome barriers such as lack of resources and technical capacity, and challenges in organization culture and leadership. Topics discussed include barriers to implement outcome-based evaluation and how to overcome them.
Measuring What Matters in Non-Profits. John Sawhill and David Williamson: Makes the case for measuring the real success of an organization in fulfilling its mission rather than performance metrics such as dollars raised, membership growth, people served, and overhead costs.
Monitoring the Outcomes of Economic Development Programs. A Manual.199 pp., 1990. Harry P. Hatry, Mark Fall, Thomas O. Singer, E. Blaine Liner. The Urban Institute, Washington, DC.: Outlines a performance monitoring system for economic agencies. Includes questionnaire forms and report formats for each area of economic development and contains recommendations for analysis and presentation of outcome information, rules for different organizational levels, and steps for implementing a performance monitoring system.
Outcome and Performance Measurement Systems: An Overview. Michael Campbell. Alliance for Redesigning Government, National Academy of Public Administration.: An overview of outcome and performance measurement systems a government needs to have in place in order to be accountable. Examines questions related to government performance such as what are the desired "results" of government and how do we know whether government has achieved some intended result. Links to several other outcome measurement resources.
Outcomes and the Factors which Influence Their Realization: A Synthesis of Forty-Two Completed Project Case Studies. 7 pp., 2000. Sarah Earl. International Development Research Centre Evaluation Unit (IDRC), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.: Provides a synthesis of the findings of 42 case studies covering 49 projects in 20 countries. Includes the results of IDRC-supported research projects, the factors that have influenced the achievement of results in the past, and what can be considered realistic outcomes to expect when funding development research.
Outcome Mapping: Building Learning and Reflection into Development Programs. 120 pp., 2001. Sarah Earl, Fred Carden, and Terry Smutylo. IDRC Evaluation Unit, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.: Describes the concept of Outcome Mapping, an approach that recognizes that development is essentially about people relating to each other and their environment. This approach shifts away from assessing the products of a program to focus on changes in behavior, relationships, actions, and activities of the people, groups, and organizations.
Outcome Measures for Child Welfare Services. Theory and Applications. 1986. S. Magura & B. Moses. Child Welfare League of America, Washington, D.C. To order by phone, call 1-800/407-6273 or visit the web site.: Presents two instruments: the Child Well-Being Scales and the Parent Outcome Interview. Examines their statistical validity and serves as a manual for their use. Book has practical applicability for the day-to-day work of agencies.
Outcome Measures for Public Child Welfare. 17 pp., 1995. Patricia Schene. The Center for Human Investment Policy, University of Colorado, Denver.: Discusses the progress to date in addressing issues related to what are the outcomes to measure, how to measure them, and how to use outcome information. Also the current orientation to outcomes within child welfare programs, some State examples of development of outcome measures, and challenges in developing and measuring outcomes.
Outcome Measurement Activities of National Health and Human Service Organizations. 31 pp., 1998. United Way of America, Alexandria, VA.: Describes outcome measurement activities of 27 national health and human service organizations. Include a chart identifying which of eight key activities these national organizations are pursuing, a resource list of outcome measurement materials issued by national organizations that United Ways can obtain, and a summary of UWA's collaborative activities with national agencies.
Outcome Measurement: Are You Making a Difference? (Video) 2000.: A 94-minute video. Offers a framework to help programs identify outcomes for their services and shows how programs can use outcome data to increase service effectiveness. Staff of four human service agencies describe challenges they faced in implementing outcome measurement and how it has paid off. Accompanying materials -- a facilitator's guide, a 45-page participant's guide that includes an assessment tool to track outcome measurement progress, and related readings -- enable the video to be used as part of a 2- to 3-hour workshop with interactive activities.
Outcome Measurement in Nonprofit Organizations: Current Practices and Recommendations. 46 pp., 2001. Elaine Morley, Elisa Vinson, and Harry P. Hatry. Independent Sector and The Urban Institute. Order toll free from 888/860-8118. Web information and executive summary, click on publications, then on newly released publications.: Provides a view of the state of outcome measurement as implemented in a number of private nonprofit service organizations engaged in outcome measurement. Gives examples and procedures that some organizations have been able to implement and use for outcome measurement.
Outcome Measurement in the Human Services. Crosscutting Issues and Methods. 342 pp., 1997. Edward J. Mullen and Jennifer L. Magnabosco. To order, write NASW Press, P.O. Box 431, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701 or call 1/800-227-3590 or 1/800-638-8779 or visit the NASW Press web site.: Expert thinking on measuring results in mental and behavioral health, child and family services, and health. Special features include implications on continuous quality improvement for social work services, case studies to provide a real-life perspective, and insights on merging good clinical practice with outcome research.
Outcome Measurement: Showing Results in the Nonprofit Sector. 11 pp., 1997. Margaret C. Plantz, Martha T. Greenway, and Michael Hendreicks. New Directions for Evaluation: Using Performance Measurement to Improve Public and Nonprofit Programs.: Describes current outcome measurement activities in five important areas of the nonprofit sector, offers 30 useful lessons learned, and discusses seven key challenges still to be overcome. These insights from the nonprofit sector are equally useful to persons working in other settings.
Performance Measurement: Getting Results. Urban Institute Research Paper. 286 pp., 1999. Harry P. Hatry. The Urban Institute, Washington, DC, PUB ID #209105.: Synthesizes more than two decades of work into a comprehensive guide to performance measurement. Explains every component of the process, from identifying the program's mission, objectives, customers, and trackable outcomes, to finding the best indicators for each outcome, the sources of data and how to collect them, the selection of indicator breakouts and benchmarks for comparisons to actual values, and a number of uses for performance information.
Perspectives on Outcome-Based Evaluation for Libraries and Museums. 26 pp. Stephen Weil and Peggy Rudd. Institute of Museums and Library Services, Washington, DC.: Present clear justifications for the adoption of outcome-based evaluation. In light of the United Way's program outcome measurement manual, suggest practices that focus on measuring the effects of an institution's work on its public (outcomes) rather than on the services provided (outputs).
The Case for Shifting to Results-Based Accountability. 14 pp., 1994. Center for the Study of Social Policy, Washington, DC.: Discusses some of the issues related to the shift to results-based accountability and identifies a start-up list of outcome measures with annotations on their use. Also focuses on how these outcomes can be translated into a program agenda; how that program agenda can lead to a budget and a financial plan; and how, over time, results-based accountability can be combined with both rewards and penalties, based on performance.
Using Software Systems to Measure Non-Profit Program Outcomes: Assessing the Benefits and Barriers for Strategic Management. Michael Collins.: Describes outcome measurement and outlines how nonprofits in human services and housing can use computer systems to better manage outcomes informtion, including tracking data and producing analytical reports.; [back to Resource Library]