Conducting multiple site evaluations in real-world settings

This 2002 edition of New Directions for Evaluation, edited by James M. Herrell and Roger B. Straw, building on earlier work on multi-site evaluations, derives lessons about the design, implementation, and value of multisite evaluations drawing on five examples that address programs initiated  by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA). The evaluations are varied: some studies exploratory, others more confirmatory;  some have common interventions, measures, and standardization across sites, while others vary markedly  across sites; some were examiningwhether anything worked, while others compared the relative effectiveness of programs already shown to be efficacious. alidated approaches delivered by experienced therapists to a diverse set of clients in community-based settings

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Excerpt

"In the past decade, interest in multisite evaluation has grown, but there is still not a substantial literature on the issues involved in conducting evaluations in multiple sites. There are, however, a number of threads that readers may be interested in pursuing. The literature on clinical trials increasingly contains references to conducting multicenter clinical trials. Cluster evaluation is an approach to multisite evaluation that has been developed by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for improving the evaluation of certain foundation initiatives." (Herrell & Straw [eds] 2002)

Contents

  • Editors' notes (James M. Herrell, Roger B. Straw).
  • A Framework for Understanding and Improving Multisite Evaluations (Roger B. Straw, James M. Herrell).
  • Treating Marijuana Dependence in Adults: A Multisite, Randomized Clinical Trial (Thomas F. Babor, Karen L. Steinberg, Bonnie McRee, Janice Vendetti, Kathleen M. Carroll).
  • The Pioneer: The Employment Intervention Demonstration Program (Judith A. Cook, Martha Ann Carey, Lisa A. Razzano, Jane Burke, Crystal R. Blyler).
  • A Prospective Meta-Analytic Approach in a Multisite Study of Homelessness Prevention (Steven Banks, Gregory J. McHugo, Valerie Williams, Robert E. Drake, Marybeth Shinn).
  • A Multisite Evaluation of Supported Housing: Lessons Learned from Cross-Site Collaboration (Debra J. Rog, Frances L. Randolph).
  • A Multisite Evaluation of Treatment of Methamphetamine Dependence in Adults (Richard A. Rawson, Patricia J. Marinelli-Casey, Alice Huber).
  • Lessons Learned About Science and Participation from Multisite Evaluations (H. Stephen Leff, Virginia Mulkern).

Sources

Herrell, J. M., & Straw, R. B., (eds), (2002). 'Conducting Multiple Site Evaluations in Real-World Settings', New Directions for Evaluation, No. 94.  John Wiley & Sons, Inc.