Ready-Made Resources for Extension Evaluation Competencies

Evaluation capacity building has been part of professional development in many Extension organizations for a number of years. Many resources are currently available for Extension organizations to create or refine the evaluation competencies they want to build in their agents, specialists, administrators, and collaborators. This article describes some current and relevant resources. Materials and networks are listed for ready access by Extension personnel

Practical Tips for Evaluators and Administrators to Work Together in Building Evaluation Capacity

This article describes considerations for administrators and internal evaluators for working in conjunction to improve evaluation capacity within their Extension organizations

An Exploratory Profile of Extension Evaluation Professionals

Extension evaluators serve important roles within our organization, given the increased emphasis on program accountability and renewed focus on program evaluation within the Extension system at all levels. What are the main roles and responsibilities of Extension evaluators? What is the nature and scope of their work? What is their academic preparation? How do they receive continued professional development and training? What is the organizational context in which they work? Prior to the study reported here, little was known about Extension evaluators. The exploratory study provides some insight and, more important, raises significant questions for future study of Extension evaluators

The South Carolina Digital Library (SCDL): What is it and where is it going?

Kate Boyd, Heather Gilbert, and Chris Vinson give updates and information on the South Carolina Digital Library project (SCDL)

Who Cares and does it matter for the labour market? A longitudinal analysis of the labour force status of Indigenous and non-Indigenous carers

Indigenous Australians experience higher rates of severe or profound disability than other Australians, and the gap in rates of disability between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians increases with age. The relativelyhigh rates of disability among the Indigenous population corresponds with heavy caring burdens. It has been well established that carers of a person with a disability have lower rates of paid employment than dononcarers. However, relatively little is known about the effect of caring on the employment rates of Indigenous carers and virtually nothing about the effect of caring on changes in labour force status. This paper uses the recently released Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset to, for the first time, describe the labour market dynamics of Indigenous and non-Indigenous carers, and the extent to which these differ from the dynamics of thosewho are not carers. By exploiting the longitudinal nature of the data, we can examine how labour force status changes in association with starting as a carer and exiting from caring. Employment probabilities and labour force transitions are analysed using bivariate and multivariate techniques. The analysis raises questions about how caring decisions are made within households and the extent to which the costs of caring may differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous households

Examining an Empowerment Framework: A Look at Female Artisans Within a Ghanaian NGO

This essay examines the processes of empowerment within an artisan NGO in Ghana. An empowerment framework focusing on the concepts of ‘agency’, ‘resources’ and ‘achievements’ are examined through interviews with women weavers, batikers and seamstresses. Their narratives reveal that a complex set of structural and cultural inequalities shape women’s specific struggles, and constrain their ability to make positive personal and social change. Currently, the literature on empowerment places emphasis on choice, decision-making, realizing opportunities, and community action; choice is thought to bring about agency and individualism. My analysis finds that the emphasis within the economic development literature primarily on the alleviation of poverty may exaggerate the importance of individual autonomy among women who are highly interconnected within their communities. Overall, I find that the ability to change awareness of inequality into agency depends upon factors that range from education to political conditions and cultural norms

Living and Learning With New Media: Summary of Findings From the Digital Youth Project

Summarizes findings from a three-year study of how new media have been integrated into youth behaviors and have changed the dynamics of media literacy, learning, and authoritative knowledge. Outlines implications for educators, parents, and policy makers

Demonstrating the Public Value of Extension Forestry Programming Through Benefit Transfer Analysis

Cooperative Extension produces public value through educational programming that benefits the greater community. Forests provide numerous valuable benefits to society through the provision of ecosystem services. Cooperative Extension educational programming positively affects forest owners, who, in turn, conduct actions that enhance ecosystem services. An understudied relationship exists between Cooperative Extension and ecosystem services that can be drawn on to document Extension\u27s public value. Applying ecosystem services values to Extension natural resources–related programmatic outcomes through benefit transfer provides an avenue through which Extension can potentially make significant advancements in monetizing its public value

A Person-Centered, Asset-Based Community Development Framework for Youth with Special Health Care Needs/Disabilities in Transition to Adulthood

In the United States, 12.8 percent of children under 18 have special health care needs. Ninety percent of youth in America with special health care needs and/or disabilities can now be expected to reach adulthood. Youth with special health care needs and/or disabilities are less likely to experience successful transition to adulthood in comparison to youth without special health care needs. This article presents a person-centered, asset-based community development approach that assisted youth in achieving transition and inclusion-oriented outcomes. Examples are drawn from a Healthy & Ready to Work demonstration project in Wisconsin. At the center of our approach to transition were community connectors -- adults who knew the personal interests and assets of youth and who found opportunities in the community that matched individual youth interests. Implications for youth development professionals as successful community connectors are described