Introduction
This compilation of Grantee Evaluation Plan Profiles introduces and describes the evaluation studies developed by the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (Tribal Home Visiting Program) grantees. Each Tribal Home Visiting Program grantee was required to develop an evaluation of its program that was driven by community questions and met the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) established criteria for rigor. This process optimized the likelihood that findings would be meaningful to the program and the local community and would also contribute to the general knowledge base about successful implementation of high-quality evidence-based home visiting services in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. This document presents profiles of the innovative evaluation plans developed by grantees to assess the locally relevant outcomes of their home visiting programs.
Purpose
The profiles are designed for evaluators, program implementers, and federal staff who are looking to assess program impact in complex community contexts and may be most useful for individuals thinking about evaluating tribal home visiting and/or early education initiatives. The Grantee Evaluation Plan Profiles describe the programs funded through the Tribal Home Visiting Program and highlight the creative approaches grantees developed to rigorously evaluate these programs. These Profiles can be used as resources for the development and implementation of future evaluations in tribal communities, as well as to inform evaluation-related policies and grant requirements for tribal funding recipients.
Methods
The Tribal Evaluation Institute (TEI) developed profiles based on grantees’ submitted evaluation plans. Each Profile presents a description of the program, a summary of their evaluation plan, and information about their evaluation team. The Profiles identify the home visiting model the grantee implemented, any adaptation or supplements they created, their evaluation question, their evaluation design and outcomes of interest, the type of data they collected and the methods used, their analysis plan, information about their advisory board, and their contact information. Grantees reviewed, provided feedback, and approved their Evaluation Plan Profiles. Grantees also received local approval for the dissemination of these profiles, as desired by their community. These local approval processes may have included review and approval by entities such as a Tribal Board, Tribal Council, and/or a Community Advisory Group.
Citation
Morales, J., Roberts, E., Salvador, M., Lyon, K., Geary, E., & Buckless, B. (2018). Grantee-led evaluations in the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program: A compilation of grantee evaluation plan profiles, OPRE Report # 2018-107, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.