| John Suhrbier and Christopher Porter spoke about the steps useful in evaluating the results of a TCSP grant. Their goal was to define evaluation in the context of overall TCSP planning and implementation, and to identify resources available to grantees. Evaluation of a TCSP project most simply is identifying the set of messages to be used in telling the TCSP story. TCSP projects are resulting in things (projects and planning processes) being done differently. Evaluation addresses questions such as what are the various benefits and costs of these changes; what are the actions important in achieving these benefits; and how can successes be repeated elsewhere. The audience for the evaluation includes not only federal officials but also project staff, local elected and appointed officials, and other TCSP grantees.
Based on evaluation experiences to date, most people recognize that TCSP is resulting in lots of interesting initiatives, and acknowledge the importance of assessing the benefits of these initiatives. Most people also want to do a good job with evaluation, but have only a limited understanding of evaluation approaches and methodologies and are not really sure how to get started. Furthermore, most grantees welcome evaluation support, guidance, and assistance but also have limited time and budget and competing priorities.
Resources are available to assist TCSP grantees in preparing evaluation plans and carrying out evaluations. These include 1) Guidance for the Preparation of TCSP Evaluation Plans; 2) evaluation examples; and 3) a bibliography on transportation and land use relationships. These documents are available on the TCSP web site. FHWA can also provide technical assistance to TCSP grantees in refining their evaluation approach.
Two aspects are especially important in conducting a successful evaluation. The first is getting agreement among partners and documenting an overall evaluation plan. (Both discretionary grants and earmarked grants require an evaluation plan; however for earmarked grants, preparation of the application -- including an evaluation plan -- follows the designation of the grant.) The second is being clear on what you are trying to accomplish. This includes defining goals and objectives; identifying performance measures; and identifying appropriate data sources and evaluation methods.
The effort required to evaluate a planning grant can be relatively modest; the right attitude and a willingness to be self-critical are more important. Evaluation of an implementation grant may require more effort. To evaluate outcomes, the collection of before-and-after data, utilizing adequate statistical controls, typically is required.
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