Introduction
Active engagement is the intentional involvement of groups and individuals who are invested in the findings and outcomes of research and evaluation in all phases of the inquiry process. When this type of engagement occurs, it can improve the rigor of research and evaluation and facilitate the uptake of findings. The Division of Family Strengthening (DFS) within the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF’s)Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) engages particular groups and individuals to (1) develop learning agendas that guide work in topic areas and (2) develop and carry out individual projects that inform those learning agendas. The goal is to produce information that helps inform and improve policy and practice for all children, youth, families, individuals, and communities in the United States.
Purpose
Building on the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 and the ACF Research and Evaluation Policy, DFS engages in an ongoing learning process with its program office partners to strategically build the knowledge base for ACF and other federal human services programs. DFS and program offices work together to develop learning agendas tailored to the focus, mission, and goals of the program office. Feedback and input from groups and individuals who are invested in the outcomes of human services programs are critical to helping DFS and program offices decide what learning agenda priorities should be. Towards these aims, DFS expects contractors and grantees to develop plans and implement strategies to maximize opportunities for active engagement in DFS projects that are appropriate to the goals of each phase of a project’s life cycle. This brief communicates those expectations.
Key Findings and Highlights
- DFS and program offices work together to develop learning agendas tailored to the focus, mission, and goals of the program office.
- Feedback and input from groups and individuals who are invested in the outcomes of human services programs are critical to helping DFS and program offices decide what learning agenda priorities should be.
- Groups or individuals to actively engage for DFS projects have diverse areas of expertise and include service providers; developers of interventions, innovations, or practices; program participants; subject matter experts; federal, grantee, or other program staff; federal, state, or local leadership; groups and individuals in communities where programs occur; and those in broader fields of study related to human services research and evaluation.
- DFS expects contractors and grantees to develop plans and implement strategies to maximize opportunities for active engagement in DFS projects that are appropriate to the goals of each phase of a project’s life cycle.
- DFS learning extends from project to project and connects to learning in the larger research and evaluation field.
- DFS’s research and evaluation activities occur in parallel to other inquiry processes led by universities, other government agencies, private companies, and foundations.
Citation
Meyer, A., Margie, N., Caal S., Blitz, C., Woolverton, M., & Illangasekare, S. (2022). “Making Evaluations Rigorous and Relevant: The Role of Active Engagement in Developing Learning Agendas for the Division of Family Strengthening,” OPRE Report #2022-10. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- DFS:
- Division of Family Strengthening
- Active Engagement:
- The intentional involvement of groups and individuals who are invested in the outcomes of evaluation in all phases of the inquiry process
- Learning Agenda:
- An approach to strategically build the knowledge base about human services