Program Evaluation

I am currently taking Program Evaluation 6130 and we have been assigned to evaluate a program of my choice.  I have decided to evaluate the Learning Zone at the Salvation Army in Cleveland, Ohio.  The purpose of this program is to help students who need help academically as well as provide a safe place for them to go after school; national statistics show that the majority of juvenile crime is committed between the hours of 3-6 PM. Those students enrolled in our programs no longer contribute to that national statistic (Salvation Army website). 

My concept map illustrates the stakeholders (volunteers; people who make donations, the director, and parents); these are the people who have an interest in the program.  The interests of the stakeholders are to provide the students who attend the program a safe place to go after school so that these students will not roam the streets and get into trouble with the police or commit crimes.  The students that attend the learning zones will grow academically because there are tutors that have at least two years of college as well as many of the tutors being teachers.  There is a tie in with the donors and the services that the students receive.
Because the Salvation Army is a faith based organization the students also have access to church if they do not have a church home and they can attend bible study.  The students not only receive academic help they also receive spiritual help as well.  Once the students have been accepted to the learning zone they can also gain access to other programs the Salvation Army offers like summer camp, and go to the food pantry.  The parents of these students can get utility help if necessary and can also go to church and bible study.

The problems that I see arising in this type of program is people from varying faiths may not take advantage of the help because of their religious beliefs.  Also I can see where problems could arise with the volunteers and the organizations faith based mission which is strong in faith and grace they are unapologetically Christian.  Even when they consider that they will work with other organizations that are not Christian this statement has been made, the Salvation Army at all times will be overtly and explicitly Christian but is willing to engage in intelligent and sensitive networking with secular agencies in the cause of social justice (Shakespeare 2010). 

Conceptual factors that I would consider when preparing to evaluate the learning zone are the students being serviced; how efficient is the program in terms of do the students see improvement in their grades and what about the teachers do they see an improvement in the students grades and behavior.  If I had to group these conceptual factors I would group them in terms of academic growth as information from the students and schools, parent’s feelings on how they feel the program aids their child; how do the volunteers feel about the program and do they see an improvement in the students.  Is the program worthwhile and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the learning zones?

In order to get a clearer picture of the learning zone program I think that talking to the volunteers,  a percentage of parents, students, schools and the director of the program to get an overall sense of what the consensus of program is in terms of effectiveness.  I also think taking an afternoon and going to observe the program in action would give me an clearer picture of what it is I am evaluating.

References
The Salvation Army Greater Cleveland, Ohio http://www.use.salvationarmy.org/use/www_use_greaterCleveland_v2.nsf/vw-dynamic-index/183FB70573442B25852579F200505C42?Opendocument Retrieved 3/16/14
Shakespeare, C. (2010). The salvation army speak out: an online conference on social justice
adovacy.
http://www.e-summit.org/conference/The-Salvation-Army-and-Social-Justice.html