Analysis & Reporting

Using evaluation findings for decision making

How can programs use data for planning purposes? How can they share results with stakeholders? Ideally, program staff will have structured opportunities to look at evaluation data from their own program sites, and to generate reporting and practice plans based on that data.

Data Use Foundational Principles

The following are key to the use of data for continuous improvement:

• A culture of inquiry
• Staff engagement across all levels
• Mechanisms for organizing, sharing, and reflecting on data
• Realistic and incremental goals
• Inclusion of key stakeholders in data sharing and review¹

Communicating about Data

Communication of evaluation findings with both internal and external audiences is critically important. Different audiences have different needs when it comes to data. Think about who needs to know what, and when and how they need to know it, when sharing evaluation results.

This section provides tools for interpreting evaluation results, and planning tools to help you communicate those results to different audiences.

^{1. Rosenberg, H. (2013). Embracing the Use of Data for Continuous Program Improvement. Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) Newsletter, 5(3). Retrieved from http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/embracing-the-use-of-datafor-continuous-program-improvement↩}