Sunday, March 18, 2007

5:00–8:00 pm

Registration Open

Monday, March 19, 2007

6:30 am

Registration Opens

8:45–9:00 am

Acknowledgements and Conference Perspectives

Eric Keroack, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs, Office of Population Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 

9:00–9:30 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks

John Agwunobi, Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Public Health and Science, DHHS

Morning Theme
Defining Your Journey: If you don’t know where you are going, how can you expect to get there?

9:30–10:45 am

Getting Started: Asking the Right Questions and Designing an Evaluation Through Collaboration

Moderator:          Mary Anne Mosack, Abstinence and Marriage
                        Education Partnership

Presenters:          Matthew Stagner, Chapin Hall Center for Children
      and the Irving B Harris School of Public Policy Studies
      at the University of Chicago

                         Christine Markham, University of Texas Health
      Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health

The speakers will provide a framework for the conference, focusing on the importance of collaboration to develop evaluation questions; developing a logic model; the risks, benefits, challenges, and satisfaction of evaluation; and the evaluation feedback loop for continuous program improvement.

10:45–11:15 am

Break

11:15 am
–12:45 pm

The Road Well-Traveled: A Look at Evaluations That Are Making the Journey

Three breakout sessions will feature papers selected for the conference through a scientific, objective review process. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Session One: Strengthening Evaluations: Using Longer Term Outcomes, Behavioral Outcomes, and Comparison Groups

Session Leader: Joan Hurley, Consultant, Office of Population Affairs, DHHS

·         “Evaluation of Why kNOw Abstinence Education Core Curriculum and Road to Excellence Programs” – Program: Why kNOw Abstinence Education, Inc. (David Edwards,  University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Lesley Scearce, Why kNOw Abstinence Education, Inc.)

·         “Abstinence Education: Program Evaluation with Youth Survey” – Program: Alabama Abstinence-Until-Marriage Education Program  (Gerald Halpin and Glenelle Halpin, Auburn University)

·         “Influence of Moral Competence on Abstinence Education for Pre-
 and Early Adolescent Females” – Program: Too Young For Two
 (John Usera, Institute for Educational Leadership & Evaluation)

·         “An Evaluation of an Abstinence-Only Education Curriculum: An 18-Month Follow-up” – Program: Sex Can Wait (Michael Young and George Denny, University of Arkansas)

Session Two: Theory-Driven Evaluations of Abstinence Education

Session Leader: Brenda Donnelly, University of Dayton

·         “The Heat Is On…Self-Efficacy for Sexual Abstinence” – Program:
      Central Shenandoah Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (Linda
        Hulton, James Madison University)

·         “Abstinence Education Works: Evaluation of the Pure and Simple
      Lifestyle Project” – Program: Pure and Simple Lifestyle Project
      (Sandra Pickert, Abstinence Education, Inc.)

·         “Abstinence Education Program Evaluation: An Application of
      Structural Equation Modeling and Social Theory” – Program: 
      Ohio Abstinence Education Program (Robert Seufert, Miami
      University Middletown, and Mark Carrozza, University of Cincinnati)

Session Three: Abstinence Education for Latino Youth

Session Leader: Brigette Courtot, The Urban Institute

·         “The Effects of an Abstinence Education Program in Tucson, AZ, on
      Adolescent Hispanic Males” – Program: B-Unique (Megan Multanen
       and Lisa Teyechea, Pima Prevention Partnership)

·         “Increasing Protective Factors for Mexican-American Female
      Adolescents” – Program: FRIENDS FIRST Quinceañera Program
      (Lisa Rue, University of Northern Colorado)

·         “Community Programs for Latino Families and School Programs for All
      Students” – Program: Youth Solutions (Tary Tobin, University of
      Oregon, and Francisco Sánchez, Northwest Family Services)

12:45–2:15 pm

Lunch on your own:  Informational Item: You may want to join a gathering of abstinence educators in the Baltimore Ballroom for a lunch meeting organized by a newly-forming organization for idea-sharing. The group is providing complimentary lunch boxes for the first 200 providers who claim them. Other, non-conference lunchtime meetings may be occurring on either of the conference days – please check the conference registration desk for informational flyers.

Afternoon Theme
Mapping It Out, and Taking the Evaluation Journey in Stages

2:15–3:00 pm

Packing Your Bags with the Evaluation Tool Kit

Introduction: Embry Howell, The Urban Institute

Presenter: Christopher Trenholm, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

The speaker will explain the major types of evaluations and the range of evaluation designs and strategies. He aims to provide a realistic view of the strategies appropriate at each point in the evaluation journey.

3:00–3:30 pm

Break

3:30–5:00 pm

Sharpening Your Evaluation Tools

Evaluation experts will lead tool-building break-out sessions on a range of topics tailored to respond to the needs and interests of different audiences.

Starting Off Right: Using the Tool Kit to Develop Your Program Evaluation

For participants with basic evaluation skills or just beginning a program evaluation

The session will cover the pros and cons of various types of program evaluations; determining evaluation questions and tracking outcomes; interpreting research results properly; and designing logic models for evaluation planning.

Led by Vijaya ChannahSorah, Results Management International

Evaluation Check-Up: Does Your Program Evaluation Fit?

For participants with intermediate evaluation skills or in the middle stages of a program evaluation

The session will include revisiting evaluation questions and outcomes; linking questions to analysis techniques; and addressing typical evaluation challenges related to fidelity, dosage, and instrumentation.

Led by Dennis McBride, Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training

Qualitative Research Methods: What, When, and How?

For participants with basic to intermediate evaluation skills or in the middle stages of a program evaluation

The session will cover basic qualitative evaluation methods, including design approaches, data collection techniques, analysis, and ways to increase the strength of qualitative results.

Led by Lisa Lieberman, Healthy Concepts Research, Inc.

Choosing the Best Instruments to Measure Attitudes and Behaviors

For participants with basic to intermediate evaluation skills or in the middle stages of a program evaluation

The session will introduce various resources for preparing questions to measure attitude and behavior. It also will cover challenges in the administration of instruments.

Led by Leah Robin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Patricia Thompson, Office of Population Affairs, DHHS

Advanced Topics: Conducting a Process Evaluation to Optimize
Program Effectiveness

For participants with intermediate to advanced evaluation skills

What is process evaluation and why is it important? This discussion session will cover key elements of process evaluation—including the essential components for designing a process evaluation, monitoring program implementation, documenting system changes and improvements, and feeding back results to stakeholders, all of which enhance the effectiveness of program performance.

Led by Andrew Robinson, Andrew Robinson Consulting, LLC,
and Brigette Courtot, The Urban Institute

Advanced Topics: Conducting an Impact Evaluation

For participants with intermediate to advanced evaluation skills

This discussion session will cover designing an impact evaluation, selecting comparison groups, drawing valid conclusions about causality, and carrying out a longitudinal study.

Led by Christopher Trenholm, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Advanced Topics: Monitoring Performance through Outcome Evaluation

For participants with intermediate to advanced evaluation skills

This discussion session will cover developing performance indicators, routine outcome monitoring, and analyzing the results of an outcome analysis.

Led by Marvin Eisen, The Urban Institute

Advanced Topics: Working with Evaluation Stakeholders to Design and Implement Evaluations

For participants with intermediate to advanced evaluation skills

This discussion session will cover (a) strategies to identify stakeholders whose input will benefit study goals, and (b) building and maintaining productive relationships with those individuals.

Led by Matthew Stagner, Chapin Hall Center for Children and the Irving B. Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago

Advanced Topics: Communicating Evaluation Results Effectively

For participants with intermediate to advanced evaluation skills

This discussion session will cover reporting strategies, tailoring formats to an audience, summarizing results effectively, generating user-friendly graphs and tables, and making useful recommendations.

Led by Christine Markham, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, and Embry Howell, The Urban Institute

5:00–5:15 pm

Break

5:15–6:45 pm

Poster Presentations/Networking Event

This session provides an opportunity to visit selected posters portraying evaluation activities. Poster exhibitors will be present to answer questions and continue the day’s discussion. Posters are grouped in the following categories:

·         Innovative Methods from Abstinence Education Evaluations

·         Tracking Emotional and Behavioral Outcomes

·         Qualitative Methods to Describe Implementation and Best Practices

·         Tracking Changes in Adolescent Attitudes Regarding Abstinence

·         The Impact of Abstinence Education on Attitudes about Abstinence

·         Evaluating Abstinence Education for Special Populations

A complete list of poster titles and presenting authors can be found on pages 24-26 in this conference program.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Morning Theme
Informing Our Journey by Learning from Others

9:00–10:15 am

Learning from Other Evaluation Journeys That Focus on Adolescent Risk-Taking Behaviors

Moderator:   Leslie Raneri, Office of Population Affairs, DHHS

Panelists:      Jerry M. Croan, Caliber, an ICF International Company,
   “Evaluation of Prevention Projects with a Focus on
    Education and Juvenile Justice”

                   Ann Lamiell Landy, Westat, “Assessing the Impact of
   Community Coalitions on Youth Substance Abuse”

                   Olivia Silber Ashley, RTI International, “Evaluation of the
    Safe Dates Program to Prevent Adolescent Dating
    Violence”

Comments:   Stephen Nagy, Western Kentucky University

The panel will discuss evaluation efforts for intervention programs that address adolescent risk-taking, such as substance abuse, violence, and other juvenile justice issues. Similar evaluation challenges across different programs will be highlighted.

10:15–10:30 am

Break

10:30–11:30 am

What Can We Learn from Research on the Adolescent Brain and Its Implications for Youth Intervention Evaluations?

Introduction:   Alicia Richmond Scott, Office of Population Affairs, DHHS

Plenary Speaker:  Michael C. Miller, Harvard Medical School

11:30 am–
12:15 pm

Remarks on the Importance and Role of Evaluation for Abstinence Education

Introduction: Stan Koutstaal, Acting Director, Office of Abstinence Education, Administration for Children and Families, DHHS

Wade Horn, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, DHHS

12:15 –1:45 pm

Lunch on your own

Afternoon Theme
Continuing the Evaluation Journey Back Home

1:45–3:00 pm

Getting It Together on the Home Front

With participants divided into small groups, facilitators will pose questions about designing evaluations and implementing them “back home.” Facilitators also will answer questions about earlier conference material and its relevance to particular situations. Attendees will be grouped with others whose evaluations are at similar stages.

3:00–3:30 pm

Break

3:30–4:45 pm

Encouragement for Next Steps on the Journey

Moderator:        Evelyn Kappeler, Office of Population Affairs, DHHS

Panelists:          Johanna Nestor, Office of Adolescent Pregnancy
                       Programs, Office of Population Affairs, DHHS

                       Meredith Kelsey, Office of the Assistant Secretary for
                       Planning and Evaluation, DHHS

                        Stan Koutstaal, Office of Abstinence Education,
                        Administration for Children and Families, DHHS

The panel will wrap up the conference, inspiring attendees to use their expanded evaluation tool kit and sharing information about new federal resources for abstinence education evaluation.