Painless Program Evaluation: Step-by-Step Guide to Measuring Outcomes
with presenters Kerrilyn Scott and Christina Borbely

Workshop Description
Conducting a solid and informative program evaluation is essential to providing effective prevention efforts and complying with the SDFSC grant requirements. This one day workshop is designed to support local SDSFC program staff in your efforts to design and implement your SDFSC program evaluation. The focal point of the workshop is geared towards choosing and/or developing appropriate evaluation instrumentation that best measures your specific program outcomes. Topics will include:
     • Design Basics: Key Concepts; Helpful Hints
     • Types of Instruments: Which Format?; Standardized vs. Locally Designed?
     • Types of Response Options: Pros & Cons
     • Choosing Instrumentation That’s Right for You: Considering Population; Program Context
       & More!
     • Ways to Effectively Utilize the California Healthy Kids Survey Data
     • Compiling a Complete Instrument: Piecing it Together
     • Resources at Your Fingertips

General measurement guidelines will be discussed in detail to help you determine which
instrumentation is best for your program. This includes consultation to help you select appropriate measure format (e.g., interviews, questionnaires); determine whether an instrument is appropriate for your population; and decide on optimal standardized or locally developed instrumentation for your program. Please come prepared to discuss specific issues and challenges, as this will aid us to better support your requests and answer your questions. Please bring copies of your proposed measures and evaluation logic model with you.

About the Facilitators
Kerrilyn Scott is currently the Project Director for the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Technical Assistance Project. She has over 13 years of progressive experience conducting research and program evaluation projects focusing on ATOD and violence prevention programming for youth and their families. Before overseeing the SDFSC Technical Assistance Project, Ms. Scott was the Project Director for a number of evaluation projects including: The California Friday Night Live Mentoring Project (involved 25 counties and approximately 200 school sites); the Friday Night Live, California Youth Council; and the Orange County On Track, Tobacco Free Communities Project. Additional positions have included: Field Coordinator for Project Youth Connect (a three-year federally (CSAP) funded cross-site project which investigated the impact of mentoring for high risk youth), Project/Training Coordinator for the School/Law Enforcement Cadre Annual School Safety and Violence Prevention Training Event (Sponsored by the California Department of Education and
the Attorney General’s office), and Training Coordinator for the Project: Youth Connect National
Mentor Training Conference (Sponsored by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention). Before joining EMT, Ms. Scott conducted school safety research as a consultant for the Florida Safe and Drug Free Schools Program and through her involvement on the Florida Safe Learning Environmental Data Project.

Christina Borbely, Ph.D. Christina is a research consultant at CARS providing technical assistance to California’s Safe and Drug Free Schools & Communities grantees. Also a member of the EMT team, Christina coordinates program evaluations for El Dorado County Office of Education and San Francisco Big Brothers Big Sisters. Prior to joining EMT/CARS, Christina was a member of the research staff at Columbia University’s National Center for Children and Families. Her work in the field of youth development and prevention programs has been presented at national conferences and published in academic journals. Christina has extensive knowledge and experience in program evaluation and improving service delivery through identification of factors that impact today’s young people. She is also involved as a volunteer in providing mentoring and developmental support to youth in underserved populations. Christina received her doctoral degree in developmental psychology, with a focus on children and adolescents, from Columbia University (2004).