Article Summary
Kaufman, J., Crusto, C., Quan, M., Ross, E., Friedman, S., O’Reilly, K., and Kall, S. 2006.
Utilizing program evaluation as a strategy to promote community change: Evaluation of a comprehensive community-based family violence initiative. American Journal of Community Psychology 38(3-4).
This article focuses on the use of data collection—and the importance of effective data collection strategies—in helping communities make better-informed decisions about dealing with family violence. The authors examine the effectiveness of the Safe Start Initiative, which is involved with helping children under age 6 cope with being exposed to violence in the home. The project was implemented in a densely populated, high-poverty region, in a Northeastern that was home to about 140,000 residents. About 95 percent of the students at the surrounding schools qualified for free/reduced lunches. The evaluation team examined the initiative on the basis of its ability to spur change at the individual, organizational, community, and policy levels. The authors touch on the implications of the data they have collected and how that data could be used to help others. They conclude by restating the relevance of the team’s work and the importance of stimulating positive change in communities in need.
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