Adult literacy Volunteer Tutor Program Evaluation Kit

This kit provides a comprehensive examination of all aspects of a volunteer tutor literacy program and, as such, is a useful starting point for any program that has never done program evaluation. We recommend use of the kit in its present form, with some suggestions for adaptation.

Recommendations for Current Use

1. Use the Group Process
If possible, the program questionnaire should be completed in a group process, as Audrey Thomas recommends, rather than using the individual tutor and learner questionnaires. The interaction within the groups provides the most valuable information and is most effective from the participants' point of view. We also recommend the use of an external facilitator to make the process more objective and to give participants an opportunity to speak more freely.

2. Use Good Practice Statements Without Supporting Conditions
When using the program questionnaire in a group process, we suggest that the good practice statements are first presented without the supporting conditions. The intention would be to open up discussion on what makes a "good" literacy program, and to allow it to range a little more freely and in a less linear fashion. The supporting conditions could then be contributed by the facilitator, if they are needed, to stimulate further ideas or thought. Programs might also choose to use only the statements that they feel are most relevant to their programs.