Practical Issues in the Conduct of Large-Scale, Multisite Research and Evaluation

This chapter focuses on the problems that occur when one conducts research on or evaluates large-scale, multisite programs such as those funded by the Corporation for National Service, national foundations, or state agencies. These conclusions are, for the most part, based on the experience gained by the staff at Brandeis University's Center for Youth and Communities in conducting more than a dozen evaluations of service-learning programs, as well as evaluations of a variety of other youth-related initiatives. The goal of this chapter is not to say how to do it right, but rather to raise some of the issues inherent in large-scale evaluations; to relate some of the experiences Brandeis University evaluators had addressing those issues; and to tease out ideas that can be helpful to those who fund, carry out, or seek to interpret the results of research and evaluations of service-learning programs that cover more than a handful of local sites.