Tracking Program Metrics

Why Track Program Outputs:

An important part of

A systematic process that critically examines a program's merit, worth or significance by collecting and analyzing information about a program’s activities, characteristics, and outcomes. The goal is to improve the program's effectiveness, and/or to inform programming decisions (Patton, 2001).

is tracking measurable program metrics over time, sometimes called "outputs” (number of participants, acres protected, trees planted, etc.). While these metrics won't tell the whole story of how a program is doing, it will help tell part of the story. It will let you see how and if your program changes over time. These data can inform your understanding of who you are reaching, (as importantly) who you are not reaching, what you are doing, and how these data may or may not change over time. Additionally, this information can be useful for sharing information about your organization/program to your

Can be geographically based (neighborhoods, towns, cities, etc.) or based on interest, identity, culture, belief, profession, etc. In environmental education community is often thought of as a system of systems including both natural, social, and economic systems (NAAEE, 2017).

and funders. And if it feels overwhelming, fear not! Many times your organization already collects these data, and all you need to do to figure out a way to organize and share them.

As part of a culturally responsive and

Aims to better understand evaluation efforts and their effects, both intended and unintended, by expanding the definition of validity and rigor. Equitable evaluation works to name implicit biases in order to make more informed decisions and to embrace the complexity of many lived experiences of practitioners and participants (Equitable Evaluation Initiative, 2020).

, attention needs to be paid to what information you collect now, what new information you need to collect in the future, and how you collect it. Below, you will find guidance and several

Refers to time, money, and other in-kind resources.

to help you track program outputs in a culturally responsive and equitable way.

Tracking Outputs Resources/Guidance:

This section provides general guidance about data you may already be or could start collecting. Included in these data descriptions are tips to collect data in ways that respect the participants in your programs as well as the communities from which they come from.

Demographic information -- Who are you serving? Where do they live? What school catchment are they in? Is the school recognized under the federal free and reduced lunch program? What is their primary language? 

Demographic information (age, gender, school, school district, primary language, community, etc.) gives you information on who is participating in your program and also can indicate who is not participating. Many times demographic information has already been collected during the program registration, and so you may already have these data points. Other times, you may need to work with teachers, community members, or state-level school information officers to “back-fill” information on the communities served by different cohorts. One thing to note, collecting demographic information can be both difficult and sensitive. One's

The type of attraction one feels for others, often described based on the gender relationship between the person and the people they are sexually attracted to (The Avarna Group, 2020).

,

This socially constructed term refers to the roles, behaviors, activities, and other characteristics a given society deems appropriate for their gender categories (in the United States, these have traditionally been identified as “boys and men” or “girls and women”). It is important to note that while biological sex is similar across cultures, gender isn’t. A personal conception of one’s own gender; often in relation to a gender opposition between masculinity and femininity. Gender expression is how people externally communicate or perform their gender identity to others. (National Multicultural Institute, 2003; American Psychological Association, 2011)

, income, age, or the many other ways one may identify is personal information that needs to be treated with respect. In general, consider why are you asking for this information? Is this information necessary? Do you already have

Refers to recreation access to green space in the environmental literature; access can mean seamlessly including people with varying identities and abilities in all the ways that visitors recreate in green space, while feeling safe, secure, and a sense of belonging.

to this information in another way? Given these sensitivities, you need to work with your registration team to make sure the demographic questions in the registration process are collected in ways that are respectful to the communities you work with; and always share with your community why you are asking for this information. For further resources on how to respectfully collect demographic information, visit these resources:

• The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation offers a guide on data collection around gender

  Identity includes all the labels one uses to represent themselves, particulalry referring to social groups, including but not limited to sex, gender, ethnicity, race, nationality, ability, religion, spirituality, age, socio-economic status, political affiliation (SAIC, 2020).

  , sexual orientation, race and

  A social construct that divides people into smaller groups based on characteristics such as a shared sense of group membership, values, behavioral, patterns, language, history, and ancestral geography (Racial Equity Tools, 2020).

  , and

  A physical, mental, or cognitive impairment or the perception of such an impairment that impacts a person's ability to perform day-to-day activities due to the way society is structured. In these cases, special accommodations are necessary to ensure an individual’s engagement. The adoption of the ADA makes it illegal to discriminate against people based on their disabilities (ADA National Network, n.d.).

  . "More Than Numbers: A Guide Toward

  The unique differences among individuals in a group based on which we may be treated differently in society. Ethnicity is not the only way in which we are diverse as a group. There are countless visible and invisible facets of diversity. This may be race, socioeconomic background, gender (especially in the sciences), physical ability, age and how people come to environmental education at different points of their life, or sexual orientation. It includes any sort of “-ism” that brings people to the conversation, especially at different places of power. Power differentials may invite or limit the conversation. This is sometimes known as a "dimensions of difference" (The Avarna Group, 2020).

  ,

  The guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. The principle of equity acknowledges that there are historically underserved and underrepresented populations and that providing equal or identical treatment to all does not improve the fairness of these unbalanced conditions (Oregon State University, 2021).

  , and

  Authentically bringing traditionally excluded individuals/ groups into processes, activities and/ or decisions in a way that share power (Racial Equity Tools, 2020).

  (DEI) in Data Collection" is available here.
• Out Maine has many resources related to gender inclusive language on their site that would be incredibly helpful when designing gender-related, or other demographic,

  Evaluation questions guide your evaluation. After deciding on your evaluation goals, you are ready to identify questions for the evaluation to answer. Evaluation questions may ask about a single element of your program, or the questions may focus on relationships between two or more elements of a program (e.g., to what extent does a particular output result in a desired outcome). They may also ask: To what extent were the planned activities completed? Why? To what extent are we achieving our outcomes? How well are we managing our program? What additional staff and resources are needed to meet our objectives? There are three types of questions you might ask about your program, process, outcomes, and impact questions.

  . Many sources are geared toward educators, but the lessons learned can be applied to evaluation. The resource, 8 Steps to Inclusive Language in the Classroom, is one place to start.

What types of information could we track and share? 

The following list includes data that can be collected during registration and/or accessed by working with your partner organization, like a youth group or school district (if you have one). For ease in data collection and sorting, try using spreadsheets or templates. This can also streamline data collection and can help your registration team collect and update the  information. Remember that these spreadsheets are easier to update weekly or monthly rather than yearly! 

Participant information to track:

• Number of participants in a program
• Number of programs run
• Ages of participants in a program
• Gender of participants
• Percentage of participants who have special needs
• Number of participants whose primary language is not English
• Zip Codes of participants

If working with students and schools, you might track:

• School districts or schools represented by students in a program
• Number of teachers bringing classes, and of those teachers, how many are repeat teachers (i.e., have they come before?)
• Percentage of participating schools that qualify for the federal program for free or reduced school meals
• How schools heard about the program

Volunteer information to track:

• Number of program volunteers trained
• Number of program volunteer hours
• Demographic information about program volunteers
• How program volunteers heard about the volunteer opportunity
• How many volunteers are repeat volunteers (could be an indicator of longevity or turnover)