Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative
Faculty and Staff at Oregon State University (OSU) work closely with OPEC Hubs and Funders to support the initiative through evaluation, professional development, and technical assistance.
OSU approaches the evaluation strategy of the OPEC initiative from a number of perspectives: a knowledge-focused perspective that utilizes results to inform development, a process-focused perspective that examines day-to-day operations and participant experiences to support program improvement, and a participatory-focused perspective that evaluates the experience of intended users and stakeholders.
OSU has developed tools specific to the OPEC initiative which allow for the collection of common outcomes across programming efforts. These tools include the Parenting Skills Ladder and Parent Workshop Evaluation, which OPEC Hubs use to evaluate all OPEC-funded parenting education classes and workshops. Evaluation efforts are facilitated through use of the OSU developed online reporting system, which allows grantees to maintain an interactive role in the evaluation process. Benefits of the online reporting system include the ability for site coordinators/staff to enter, edit and view project data within the reporting system. In addition to the online reporting system, OSU collects data through interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The evaluation process lays a measurable foundation for the continued development of the initiative.
If you are interested in learning more about the outcomes and results of the OPEC initiative and evaluation, there are many reports available for download.