Integrating theory and practice. Conceptual frameworks of the CEFP.

In this article, we describe how different conceptual frameworks contributed to the design, development, and implementation of the Collaborative Evaluation Fellows Project (CEFP). These frameworks are the following: utilization-focused evaluation (Patton, 1997); evaluative inquiry for learning in organizations (Preskill & Torres, 1999); and collaboration for a change (Himmelman, 1994). In addition, we explain how The Program Evaluation Standards (Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, 1994) provided criteria for implementing and assessing the evaluation studies conducted through the CEFP. We conclude the article with examples of how the CEFP has changed the way American Cancer Society staff members and volunteers think about and conduct evaluations.

The Collaborative Evaluation Fellows Project. Background and overview of the model.

The Collaborative Evaluation Fellows Project (CEFP) of the American Cancer Society builds organizational capacity for evaluation by partnering with schools of public health to conduct local evaluation studies. This model was envisioned in response to the American Cancer Society's growing demand for program evaluation and the challenges of institutionalizing evaluation nationwide and at all levels of the organization. The CEFP also formalizes partnerships between the American Cancer Society and universities, and provides practical opportunities for public health graduate students and faculty. Working with an American Cancer Society evaluation facilitator and an advisory group, faculty and graduate students use a 15-step process to conduct evaluation studies at the local level. Students also can use these data for their master's these. The 15-step process is based on the utilization-focused evaluation approach and is designed to foster the use of evaluation findings by program stakeholders. The CEFP model has been implemented in American Cancer Society offices nationwide and has been replicated with another nonprofit health organization.

Evaluation use and the CEFP. Lessons from a case study.

The Collaborative Evaluation Fellows Project was designed to build the evaluation capacity of the American Cancer Society and to produce evaluations that would be used in decision making on the local to national levels. Is this kind of use occurring and has use become a means of institutionalizing evaluation? Data from site visits to six regional offices suggest some use of findings occurring, while other data clearly indicate that an evaluation ethos and evaluation practice are both taking hold within the organization.