Evaluating impact: how do you know you are making a difference? Vivienne Porritt Executive Director London Centre for Leadership in Learning Institute of Education www.ioe.ac.uk/lcll
v.porritt@ioe.ac.uk
www.lcll.org.uk
Aims To support you in developing and refining your approach to evaluating the impact of your work • Designing for impact – clarity of purpose • Achieving impact - approaches • Evaluating impact – applying the approach and evidence
Key questions… • Why should we evaluate impact – what is its purpose? • What is impact evaluation? • For whom do you want to make a difference? • What kind of a difference? • By when will the difference be seen? • Does it make a positive difference? • How much of a difference? • How do we know – nature of evidence? • How can we evaluate impact simply and practically? © Copyright LCLL, 2008
Designing impact Why should we evaluate impact?
For whom do you want to make a difference?
Š Copyright LCLL, 2008
By when do you want to make a difference? • • • •
short term? medium term? long term? practical implications of timescale? © Copyright LCLL, 2008
What kind of difference do you want to make?
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Guskey’s levels pupil learning outcomes use of new knowledge and skills
organization support and change
professional learning
initial reactions
Establish learning objectives and outcomes at the planning stage “ Good evaluation does not need to be complex; what is necessary is good planning and paying attention to evaluation at the outset of the professional development program, not at the end � Guskey, 2002
How will you know?
From what ………. • • • •
Baseline picture Current practice Current data Current attainment measure
to what? • • • •
© Copyright LCLL, 2007
Impact picture Changed practice Changed data Changed attainment measure
Does it make a positive difference? • How much of a difference? • Implications for return on investment? • To whom? • By when?
© Copyright LCLL, 2008
Does it make a positive difference? What evidence will demonstrate the difference you have made?
Evidence
Evidence
source
Distinguish between Evidence source Evidence © Copyright LCLL, 2008
A simple and practical approach Plan at the beginning • For whom do you want to make a difference? • What is the difference you want to make? • By when? • Establish a baseline picture and evidence and data at the outset • Establish the impact picture you want to achieve and evidence and data at the outset Then • Evaluate the difference you have achieved © Copyright LCLL, 2008