Flexicution in Program Evaluation: Developing a Two-Tier Plan to Address Diverse Priorities Across the Four Services' Intensive Home Visitation Programming

The New Parent Support Program (NPSP) is an intensive secondary prevention, parent-education program that serves high-needs families with very young children in the Active Components of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State (Clearinghouse) was tasked to work with all of the armed services to develop a common logic model and develop and test an expanded evaluation plan for NPSP. Using the principles of action research and practical program evaluation, the collaborative approach ensured that each service branch participated in building a logic model and evaluation plan that accurately represented their respective strengths, needs, and mission priorities. Program managers at the command levels of each service and the program manager at the Department of Defense level were key partners in working with Clearinghouse evaluators. The result is a two-tier model that will be implemented in a multisite evaluation setting. This model builds on common practices and measures and will offer flexibility for future growth, unique service priorities, and evaluation capacity.