How to Get Where You’re Going (Part 1)

Why You Should Use a Logic Model to Translate Your Mission and Vision into

a Program

National Institute for Magnet School Leadership Mystic, Connecticut

July 14, 2008

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A logic model is…

…a conceptual framework for describing the relationships between investments, activities, and results.

INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

The framework supports an integrated approach to planning, implementation, and evaluation by charting your program’s

theory of change.

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A logic model is…

…a road map that shows where you are going, how you will get there, and what landmarks you will see when you arrive.

“If you don’t know where you are going, how are you gonna know when you get there?

-Yogi Berra

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A logic model also is……a way of thinking, and reflects a process of

engaging participants in deep conversation. It is more than completing a graphic organizer.

“We build the road and the road builds us.

-Sri Lankan saying

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University of Wisconsin-Extension, Program Development and Evaluation

HEADACHE

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Let’s look at an everyday example.

Situation INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

Source:

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Magnet School Program Investments

(staff, materials, time, $$, partners)

• Recruitment

• Theme-based curriculum

• Professional development

Let’s try a “simple” logic model for magnet schools.

INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

Situation: minority group isolation (MGI); declining enrollment; low-performing staff and students

• Reduced MGI, increase enrollment

• Student achievement rises

• High-performing school

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University of Wisconsin-Extension, Program Development and Evaluation

A More Developed Logic Model - Parent Education Program

Staff

Money

Partners

Assess parent ed programs

Design- deliver evidence-based program of 8 sessions

Parents increase knowledge of child dev

Parents better understanding their own parenting style Parents use

effective parenting practices

Improved child-parent relations

Research

INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

Facilitate support groups

Parents gain skills in new ways to parent

Parents identify appropriate actions to take

Parents of 3-10

year olds

attend

Reduced stress

Parents gain confidence in their abilities

SITUATION: During a county needs assessment, majority of parents reported that they were having difficulty parenting and felt stressed as a result

Source:

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So Why Should I Use A Logic Model?

Apply the following purpose statements to your own school and district context to understand how a logic model can help your school meet its vision and mission.

ACTVITY:What problems can you imagine being addressed with a

logic model?

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A logic model is a helpful tool for PLANNING…

• providing a coherent conceptual framework for the program.

• increasing understanding about the program among all stakeholders.

• identifying key conditions, not just symptoms of problem(s) being addressed.

• uncovering assumptions about program activities and their impact.

• motivating staff.

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A logic model is a helpful tool for IMPLEMENTATION…

• developing and managing a clear implementation plan (the who, what, when, where, how).

• differentiating activities (“what we do”) from outcomes (“the results we get”).

• prioritizing the allocation of staffing and other resources.

• aligning the use of resources across all levels of the program.

• enhancing teamwork among stakeholders.

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A logic model is a helpful tool for EVALUATION…

• communicating success and increasing resources, opportunities, recognition for the program.

• identifying gaps in program or areas of need.• supporting expansion or replication of program.• providing a common language for program staff

and program evaluators.• identifying outcomes to measure and wisely target

the use of evaluation resources.• preparing for a rigorous evaluation.

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• Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development Guide http://www.wkkf.org/Pubs/Tools/Evaluation/Pub3669.pdf

• University of Wisconsin- Extension, Program Development and Evaluation http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation/evallogicmodel.html

Breakout session, Tuesday, 10:15-11:15 AM - practice the thinking process involved in creating a logic model.- feedback from this session will be used to develop an online magnet evaluation toolkit commissioned by the Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement.

Seewan Eng <seng@wested.org> 415.615.3190

Additional Resources on Logic Models