It seems like there is a never-ending list of health disparities that exist. Those disparities are derived from a complex set of factors, often referred to as social determinants of health. While addressing these disparities at the individual level, it needs to happen at the community level as well. This systematic approach includes improving access…
Last Monday, EVALCORP team found themselves on the Happiest Place on Earth, aka Disneyland! And no, we were not there to evaluate how Disney’s Genie Pass program met its objectives or assess the needs of community members to improve their experience at the Magic Kingdom. We tore ourselves from our laptops to enjoy each other’s…
Going into undergraduate studies, I knew that I wanted to take what I learned to help people. I didn’t know exactly how or what it would look like at first, but the more I learned the more I knew I wanted to provide direct services to those who lack access and resources. To gain experience,…
“He that breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.” So says Gandalf to Saruman, as recounted by him at the Council of Elrond in Chapter 2, Book II of The Fellowship of The Ring. In the context of the story, Gandalf is criticizing Saruman for wanting to…
In an academic setting, learning consisted of taking notes in lecture halls, doing homework, and taking tests. Up until recently, I’ve mainly learned alone in the comfort of my room. There wasn’t an incentive to learn with others because study groups weren’t productive for me and many of the activities I indulged in, such as…
In celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’d like to recognize EVALCORP’s Founder, President, and Principal Consultant, Kristen Donovan, PhD. A social psychologist with over 30 years of evaluation, measurement, and consulting experience, Kristen founded EVALCORP in 2002 to support safe, healthy, and strong communities throughout Orange County and the State…
In the previous blog post, I explained why evaluators encourage using a validated survey measure in place of a tailor-made questionnaire. I unpacked what validated measures are and what they can do for an evaluation. This week, I will share how an evaluator selects a validated measure as well as how programs should implement the…
When working with an evaluator, you may have been encouraged to use a “validated” survey measure in place of a tailor-made questionnaire. At first, this might seem like a strange proposition: why use a measure that wasn’t specifically developed for your program or intervention? The short answer is that validated measures have special characteristics that…
Happy new year! To kick off 2022, we wanted to bring it back to our core and remind you of our approach to evaluation and consulting. At EVALCORP our relationship with our clients comes first! One of the main priorities at EVALCORP is to provide actionable and valuable data to inform decisions. Across all evaluation…
With the end of the year quickly approaching, we often encounter folks who are stretched too thin facing numerous conflicting deadlines. So, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share a few time-management skills. Some of the following tips are strategies we’ve implemented and found to be effective, while others are frequently mentioned…