A Formative Evaluation of Two Crown Ward Education Championship Teams in Ontario
K. Weegar, A. J. Hickey, S. Shewchuk, M. Fall, & R. J. Flynn. (2016) A Formative Evaluation of Two Crown Ward Education Championship Teams in Ontario. Ottawa: Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services, University of Ottawa.
In 2015-2016, the authors carried out a formative evaluation of two Crown Ward Education Championship Teams (CWECTs) in Eastern Ontario. The first CWECT was operated by the local Children’s Aid Society (CAS) of Highland Shores and the CAS of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington. The second CWECT was operated by the CAS of Lanark, Leeds, and Grenville and the CAS of Renfrew County. Our formative evaluation aimed to help improve the two local CWECTs by examining their stakeholder needs, intended human and financial resources, activities, services, and desired outcomes. Our formative evaluation was also designed to prepare the way for a later outcome evaluation. We also hoped that the evaluation would contribute to the improvement of the province-wide CWECT program, which does not appear to have benefitted from any previous evaluation. Between 2008 and 2012, the provincial CWECT initiative grew from a pilot program that involved only a few CWECTs and sponsoring CASs into an Ontario-wide program of 21 CWECTs and some 40 CASs. The evaluation noted both the strengths and limitations of the two CWECTs and formulated 42 recommendations to improve them as well as the province-wide CWECT program. The final evaluation report, which is accessible to visually impaired readers, may be placed on its own web site by any other CWECT, CAS, or other organization.