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Principles and Practices for Federal Program Evaluation Proceedings of a Workshop (2017) / Chapter Skim
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6 Making Them Stick: Institutionalizing the Principles
Pages 31-36

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From page 31...
... Sabol gave examples of how that volume addressed independence, which included: • separation of the statistical agency from the parts of the depart ment that are responsible for policy making and for law enforce ment activities; • control over professional actions, especially the selection and appointment of qualified and professional staff; • authority to release information without prior clearance and adher ence to predetermined schedule of release; and • the ability to control information technology systems, tied largely to protection of data. Sabol stressed that institutionalizing principles is not a one-and-done process: he has seen situations both in and outside his former agency that show how the principles and how agency heads' capacity to uphold them and maintain independent, objective data can be challenged in many ways.
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From page 32...
... OMB has recently begun providing consultation to several evaluation offices on their evaluation practices, based on its experience with federal statistical infrastructure and with providing guidance on evidence-based policy. Barnes attributed the success and widespread acceptance of the statistical principles to strong interagency collaboration and emphasized the importance of sharing ideas across agencies.
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From page 33...
... is another document that provides guidance on principles and procedures integral to protecting scientific integrity and strengthening the credibility of government research. She asserted that the central theme of the Holdren memo is that the public must be able to trust the scientific process, and it reinforces this by providing recommendations for facilitating the professional development of government scientists through such activities as publishing in peer reviewed and other scholarly journals and participating in professional meetings and societies.
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From page 34...
... Sabol next asked the workshop participants how agencies identify existing guidance on applying evaluation principles in order to both take advantage of what opportunities currently exist and also to provide insight for future development. Howard Rolston (member, steering committee)
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From page 35...
... Feucht said that because of the nature of grants, there is a wide range of relationships between programs and external entities, which can occasionally introduce confusion. Mark Shroder (Department of Housing and Urban Development)
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