Urban Options Project Paper

The field of evaluation has grown and continues to develop into a field of many facets. Several aspects of the field are easily divisible into three categories: Values, Methods and Use. Of the three categories, the valuing branch places great focus on an evaluators ability to place value on their findings while also selecting which outcomes to further examine. Much like the evaluation process, the Urban Options Projects incorporates a level of importance for value. Not only does the program seek to improve the level of assistance to youth within the Lafayette County community, the program seeks to conduct an external evaluation to ensure that the comprehensive program is impacting the lives of students around. While this is so, the most influential …show more content…
Consequently, their goal is to ensure support stability provided by the community for the child and their family. By doing so, they hope that upon completion of the program the child’s family will be more independent while also capable of using community resources available to them. There are several staff members to add to the overall goal of the program. Their roles, while separate, are generally joined to formed teams to better assists those enrolled in the program. Of those enrolled in the program, they went through a series of steps prior to being fully enrolled in the program. These steps include, but are not limited to: referral, family consent, assignment of care coordinators and implementation of individualized service plan. Since the program’s 2002 opening, they have served over 400 diverse youth of various ethnicities, ranging from 14-16 years old. The youth and families served have seen short-term changes in their functionality; although, the long-term goal of self-sufficiency is still the end goal for all families and youth enrolled. Despite the program description being provided by the program staff, it allows for me to know who to target in my minority based evaluations