Pro Bono Design & Management Accelerator 1 Decem ecember er 12, 2 2018
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Session 3 Impact Evaluation & Data Tracking 3
Coach introductions Peter James Senior Manager of Research & Evaluation Renée J. Schomp Senior Staff Attorney, Pro Bono Consulting 4
Logistics - Nuts and bolts • Thank you to DREDF & Ed Roberts Campus! • Restrooms • Water • Lunch • Snacks 5
Mindfulness moment 6
Pro bono accelerator objectives 1. Shared pro bono language 2. Inspiration from peers 3. Role of pro bono in larger civil justice movement 4. Lens of equity & inclusion 5. Support on concrete action steps towards organizational change & pro bono design 7
Pro bono accelerator roadmap 1. October 10: Volunteerism Overview 2. November 14: Recruitment, Cultivation, & Training 3. December 12: Impact Evaluation & Data Tracking 4. January 9: Placement, Supervision, & Technical Assistance 5. February 13: Capstone Project Presentations & Organizational Change Planning 8
Today’s agenda ... 1. Morning: the theory and the methods a. Evaluation frameworks b. Quantitative methods c. Qualitative methods 2. Afternoon: the realities a. Doing evaluation in practice b. Working with funders 3. Capstone work time 9
Grounding pro bono programs in a larger civil justice movement Who benefits from evaluation and data tracking? 10
Ground rules • Beach ball conversations • One diva, one mic • Make space, take space • Be here now • Confidentiality 11
Introduction to Impact Evaluation and Data Tracking 12
A simple example 13
Insights from data Understanding -- usually a bit late, but sometimes really late! 0 14
Why evaluate le legal a l aid ? 15
Why evaluate pro b ro bon ono p o prog rogra rams ? 16
Evaluation Frameworks • Evaluation frameworks help ensure that your evaluation is answering relevant questions 17
Defining your problem • Define and understand the problem that your org/program is trying to solve 18
Theory of change • Explains how your org/program/new initiative solves problem and achieves goals • Think about comparison and counterfactuals: how does it bring about a change that otherwise would not happen? We believe that more people will file successfully with the help of a pro bono attorney (than without) because the applications are complex and daunting for most people without legal training. 19
Logic models • A step-by-step diagram showing how your program will achieve its results in the real world Inputs Outputs Outcomes Impact Pro bono Completed Improved Staff time services applications status 20
Focusing evaluation • For detailed evaluation, you can typically only focus on parts of the theory or logic model • Choose and define your focus area 21
Focus area: process evaluation • Sometimes we are most interested in evaluating a specific process (rather than full program) • In this context, the process measures become the outcomes/impacts of interest
Focus area: service evaluation • We are often interested in one or more phases of service provision
Focus area: training evaluation • The Kirkpatrick Model: 4 Levels • Useful for defining outcomes and impacts
Creating questions • Ultimately, all evaluation activity needs to be grounded in a question (or set of questions) What proportion of clinic participants successfully file? 25
Today’s exercise: Part 1 Introduction • Problem + goal • Theory & logic model • Evaluation question 26
The Evaluation Toolbox: overview of mixed methods 27
Introduction to mixed methods • Actively choose your method(s) • Consider using multiple methods • Tailor the methods to question (esp whether you are interested in causation) 28
Quantitative methods • For things that you can count or measure • Use to either explore or to confirm theories • Examples for legal aid/pro bono: • What proportion of clients in our pro bono program achieve a successful outcome? • Did our new retention strategy result in increased retention of pro bono volunteers? 29
Selecting a measure for your question • Two broad types of quantitative measure that may be relevant to your evaluation question • Categorical variables • Numerical variables • e.g. win/lose • e.g. # cases handled • Counts/totals and • Descriptive statistics proportions (mean, median etc) 30
Finding a data source • Internal administrative data - case management system and data tracking tools • External administrative data - matching to records held by courts, firms etc • Survey data - data provided by clients/pro bonos • Think about: • Appropriateness • Completeness (often a limitation of surveys) • Accuracy 31
Observational frameworks Post-intervention Post-intervention outcomes known outcomes unknown Caseload Caseload 32
Limitation of observational frameworks Post-intervention Counterfactual outcomes known unknown Caseload Caseload (- help) 33 33
Causal frameworks Outcomes Outcomes without intervention with intervention Caseload (- Caseload help) 34
Pragmatic approaches • Causal framework is gold standard but experiments often require professional assistance • Observational data is still valuable: • Understand what is happening • Develop new questions and theories • You can also try to approximate causal methods by using comparisons: • Comparing groups • Change over time 35
Example of observational study • Jessica Steinberg (2011), In Pursuit of Justice Question How effective are limited scope services in the housing context? Methods Comparison of case outcomes between groups: ● tenants with no representation ● tenants with limited scope representation ● tenants with full scope representation. 36
Learning from In P In Pursuit o of J Justice? Outcome measure Unrepresented Limited scope Full scope Possession 14% 18% 55% Mean days to move 47 54 97 • Insight: in this jurisdiction, lawyer may be needed at each step • Return to theory: what have we learned about the problem we are trying to solve? • Return to logic model: how might we adapt our program in light of new information? 37
Demo of data analysis 38 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RUobI78KlCXhq5_qCaV3KgRcydv6zUvXYgJrR_52Aj0/edit?usp=sharing
Tech tips: new skills, new tools 39
Quick brainstorm What is on one way that you could use an quantitative m method to evaluate your pro bono program? 40
Qualitative methods • To understand the nuance - expectations, experiences, reasons, perceptions • Good for why and how questions • Inductive: generating ideas and theories • Examples for legal aid/pro bono: • Individual interviews with clients to explore how comfortable they felt working with their pro bono attorney • Focus groups with pro bono attorneys to explore experiences of new mentorship model 41
Qualitative methods detail Formats • Semi-structured interview • Topic guides: sequence of prompts/questions • Individual interviews: individualized • Focus groups: collective • Take notes or use a recorder Samples: • Principle of saturation • Professional rule of thumb = 25 participants • But think about subgroups 42
Qualitative methods: example • Sarah Sternberg Greene (2016), Race, Class and Access to Civil Justice • What explains inaction in response to legal problems? Why does this differ by race? • 97 interviews with public housing residents in Cambridge, MA • Interview explored a range of related topics that might influence decision-making on using legal aid (e.g. past experience with justice system and other social institutions) 43
Key findings • Negative experiences/perceptions spillover from criminal justice system • View that your treatment in justice system is dependent on money • Prior experience w/ public institutions - “ashamed, inadequate, degraded, and confused” • Desire for self-sufficiency • Racial differences in levels of trust and in level of comfort seeking help from formal systems 44
Quotation from study “More money, more justice. I mean it. More money, more justice. It is true. The more money you have for an attorney, whether you are a big case or not, the more justice. If you have more money, they have more time to do the paperwork, investigate, that kind of thing. Oh I can get an attorney, let me tell you. No problem at all. But it won't be one of the good ones.” 45
Listening exercise https://www.legalaidsmc.org/videos/ 46
Quick brainstorm What is on one way that you could use an qualitative m method to evaluate your pro bono program? 47
Observational methods • Specifically motivated observation • Often used in design research (recall Hagan) • Best for understanding (inter)actions - often phenomena without a formal record • Consider the impact of the observer • Examples for legal aid/pro bono: • Observing client flow at workshop • Observing client interviews • Observing court operations & hearings 48
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