Paul,

I am involved in the evaluation of a privately funded national initiative
involving multiple program sites (intervention level).  Our project is on a
much smaller scale than yours (only 7 communities) but I'm happy to share
information sources which have been inspiring to us.

We have found the literature on "cluster evaluation" to be valuable.  The
term was coined by evaluators working with the W.K. Kellog Foundation in
the US.  We have found the approach useful because it respects the
diversity of program implementation from community to community and
therefore the need for site-specific evaluation protocols AND recommends a
collaborative process for across-site analysis involving all stakeholders
(funders, evaluators, interventionists, participants).  The key components
of the collaborative process are ongoing networking conferences.

There is a chapter describing this approach in Eleanor Chelimsky & William
R. Shadish's book "Evaluation for the 21st Century" from Sage Publications.

Members of the American Evaluation Society can access & participate in an
online discussion list dedicated to this approach. AES's website is
"www.eval.org"

Good luck!


Jane Hoffmeyer, TLC3 Project, Hincks-Dellcrest Institute
114 Maitland St, Toronto, Ontario, M4Y 1E1
voice: 416-972-1935 e3317
fax: 416-924-9808
email: [log in to unmask]