Program Assessment Quotes

Too many policies, programs and institutions are judged by what they are supposed to do, rather than by what they actually do and the consequences of their actions.

I want to take a close look at the SBA to see what works, what doesn't, what is duplicative, and what isn't even being utilized. We'll focus on what they do well and strengthen those areas.

I'm just another guy who sits there day to day in the office, watching what's happening, and goes, 'This is something that's not our place to decide.' The public needs to decide whether these programs or policies are right or wrong.

One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.

The long and short of it is, we need more rigor in all kinds of programs.

You can tell the tree by the fruit it bears. You see it through what the organization is delivering as far as a concrete program. If the tree's fruit sours or grows brackish, then the time has come to chop it down - bury it and walk over it and plant new seeds.

Organizations should try to find out if their learning programs actually work.

Spending a few hundred million dollars more a year on evaluations could save tens of billions of dollars by teaching us which programs work and generating lessons to improve programs that don’t

This may sound like common sense, but the unfortunate reality is that objective self-review and recalibration are rarely the norm with most social programs. The widespread belief that commitment, good intentions, and good deeds are enough carries the day.

A program can be considered a success even if it is low-rated.

We have programs that are outdated and no longer effective - we need to get rid of those programs.

We're thinking of creating a board of experts across the sectors of industry, to identify successful programs and to make recommendations about programs that are working and aren't working.