Discussion 1: Translating Knowledge From an Evaluation Report

Respond to at least two colleagues by offering critiques of their analyses. Identify strengths in their analyses and strategies for presenting evaluation results to others. Identify ways your colleagues might improve their presentations. Identify potential needs or questions of the audience that they may not have considered. Provide an additional strategy for overcoming the obstacles or challenges in communicating the content of the evaluation reports.

Student #1 (Janis):

The evaluation report I selected, the school success program: Improving maltreated children’s academic and school-related outcomes. I would present the results of the evaluation on maltreated children academic and school-related by first giving writing materials with data showing the percentage of academic of maltreated children. Present historical information on known facts of children of maltreatment struggling to being successful in school.

They need to know what types of maltreatment children are experiencing: physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Children who experience different abuse have low school performance, mental health problems, use drugs, and staying in trouble in school. They are more likely to drop out of school, growing up being in and out of Jail. They are more likely to be held back a grade. They enter in school behind their peers.  One sign of a children being maltreated is they have higher rate of being absent from school than children who are not maltreated. They are less motivated, engaged in their work, and lack good effective work habits (Mallett, 2012).

They need to know that maltreated children have been shown to increase their knowledge when they have a support system. Having help from children in the class room help them to become successful. I would show data where children have benefited from having tutors, mentors, and programs like Big Brother/Big Sister. The supportive program has been shown to improve the children academic. The programs are very effective in improved academic, behavior, and improvements with their parents, teachers, and peers (Mallett, 2012). Some questions that may be asked is: How to help the maltreated children focused on setting high goals for themselves? Do the maltreated children in the program continue to improve their life once they complete High School?

 

References

 

Mallett, C. A. (2012). The school success program: Improving maltreated children's academic

 and school-related outcomes. Children & Schools, 34(1), 13–26.

Student #2 (Wilma)

The evaluation report that I chose was The School Success Program: Improving Maltreated Children's Academic and School-related Outcomes. This evaluation report introduces a School Success program for maltreated children in schools.  It introduces interventions for these children that consists of certified teachers and tutors to address their poor academic issues. An analysis of how I would present the results of the evaluation to a group of social work colleagues is to first consider who my audience is and the appropriate way to present the evaluation. Since my audience consist of only social work colleagues, I would present my evaluation findings in a short summary report that touches briefly on every area of the evaluation or, by a short PowerPoint presentation. These areas would consist of child maltreatment, the impact it has on school performance, interventions, program design, methods, program population, assessment findings, limitations, and changes in outcomes. The background information that I think they would need and, the key message of your presentation would be the history behind child maltreatment for starters. According to Mallett, (2012), “Child protective services agencies nationwide confirmed 903,000 children as maltreated in 2007 approximately 1.2 in the United States an increase of10percent since 1990”. I would also want them to know the concerns of being a part of this population such as; it impacts school performance, poorer grades, children are less inclined to engage in independent activities, they require more motivations and have less academic engagement. The strategies that I might use to meet my colleagues’ interests and goals is to give them a copy of the evaluation report or a link to the power point for future references and, encourage them to ask questions. I am sure that my colleagues will have many questions and reactions to go along with the questions once they receive their answers. One main question might be, how will the School Success program be put out into the community? My answer to this question would be through the media and flyers in the community. Their reactions to my answer may be satisfying because they know that is a plus for the program. Another question might be, how will we fund this program? My answer would be through grants and fund raisers. Their reactions might be excitement because there are many grants out there to service vulnerable populations of people.

Reference:

Mallett, C. A. (2012). The school success program: Improving maltreated children's academic and school-related outcomes. Children & Schools, 34(1), 13–26. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.