Co-Creating a Facilitation Training Curriculum: A Formative Evaluation

This report describes the design of the formative evaluation, as well as the process the study team used for identifying the facilitation training needs and developing the training curriculum. The report also describes the process of implementing and refining each training topic, and key findings and lessons learned through the process of using a formative evaluation to improve programming. Mathematica and Public Strategies conducted the evaluation as part of the broader Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services (STREAMS) evaluation for ACF.

• Facilitation skills training is limited or nonexistent among most providers of HMRE programming for youth.
• Staff from the two programs in this study felt that facilitators could especially benefit from training in (1) how to manage and reset energy in the classroom, (2) how to deepen learning through debriefing, and (3) how to build trust and safety while challenging students’ comfort zones.
• Staff from both programs found value in the trainings delivered by the study team and provided useful feedback for improvements.
• Facilitators said that after completing the trainings, they felt better prepared to deepen connections with their students, manage and reset energy in the classroom, and work towards building an environment of trust for youth.
• Facilitators indicated that intentional planning and integrating concrete strategies and tools helped them feel more confident in the classroom and increased their engagement with youth.

The study team used a formative evaluation design guided by the Learn, Innovate, Improve (LI²) framework. The design involved identifying HMRE practitioners to participate in the evaluation, conducting an in-depth assessment of their programs, and collaborating with them to develop and test the new training curriculum. The team collected data through interviews with program facilitators and supervisors, observations of program facilitators, debriefing discussions with program staff, and surveys of youth program participants.

The study resulted in a new, research-based training curriculum on facilitation skills for organizations that provide HMRE and similar types of group-based educational and prevention programs for youth. The curriculum, including slides and supplemental tools, is designed for use by program staff such as supervisors and facilitators who are looking to enhance facilitation quality and improve engagement in youth programming. Future research could examine the impacts of the curriculum on facilitation quality, levels of engagement with programming, and youth outcomes.

The study also yielded important lessons for formatively testing, improving, and packaging a facilitation training curriculum for use by other youth-serving organizations, and identifying areas for further study. While this evaluation had the specific purpose of developing a facilitation training curriculum for HMRE program facilitators, the methods described in this report could apply equally well to a range of programs and in any number of settings. Key elements to the success of this formative evaluation were (1) a strong partnership with community-based organizations based on early trust-building and knowledge-sharing activities, (2) the research and substantive expertise that went into developing and implementing the facilitation training curriculum, (3) an expert trainer to guide and support the development process, and (4) an evidence-informed and well-defined yet flexible formative evaluation framework.

Asheer, S., Knab, J., Eddins, K., Welch, E., and Goesling, B. (2022). Co-Creating a Facilitation Training Curriculum: A Formative Evaluation. OPRE Report No. 2022-150. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.