What questions should an evaluator ask when conducting a review of the logic and plausibility of program theory? Explain why these questions are important to ask.
What will be an ideal response?
Are the program goals and objectives well defined? The outcomes for which the program is accountable should be stated in sufficiently clear and concrete terms to permit a determination of whether they have been attained.
Are the program goals and objectives feasible? That is, is it realistic to assume that they can actually be attained as a result of the services the program delivers? A program theory should specify expected outcomes that are of a nature and scope that might reasonably follow from a successful program and that do not represent unrealistically high expectations.
Is the change process assumed in the program theory plausible? The presumption that a program will create benefits for the intended target population depends on the occurrence of some cause-and-effect chain that begins with the targets’ interaction with the program and ends with the improved circumstances in the target population that the program expects to bring about.
Are the procedures for identifying members of the target population, delivering service to them, and sustaining that service through completion well defined and sufficient? The program theory should specify procedures and functions that are both well-defined and adequate for the purpose, viewed both from the perspective of the program’s ability to perform them and the target population’s likelihood of being engaged by them.
Are the constituent components, activities, and functions of the program well-defined and sufficient? A program’s structure and process should be specific enough to permit orderly operations, effective management control, and monitoring by means of attainable, meaningful performance measures.
Are the resources allocated to the program and its various activities adequate? Program resources include not only funding but also personnel, material, equipment, facilities, relationships, reputation, and other such assets.
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Which of the following is true of the provisions of the Articles of Confederation?
A. The Congress of the Confederationwas a unicameral assembly of representatives. B. Civil officers could be elected by the public to manage general affairs. C. States were deprived of their independent political authority. D. The Congress of the Confederationneeded the consent of at least five states to amend the Articles. E. Each state could send only one representative to Congress.
In what way does the president's cabinet differ from the White House staff?
A. The White House staff has greater access to and more influence on the president than does the cabinet. B. The cabinet has more access to the president than does the White House staff. C. The president nominates the White House staff while Congress chooses the cabinet. D. The cabinet is less democratic and less accountable than the White House staff.