There are numbers and there are numbers. The headcounts and hours of service often measured provide valid, important information about the nature and scope of a program. They represent the program s outputs. Outputs are different from outcomes. Outcomes concern changes in people s knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, behavior, condition, or status.
Outcome data demonstrate the effects of the activities and hours of service provided.
Outcome information answers questions about how people benefit from the programs in which they participate. Program staff can use outcome data to spot problems and remedy them. Agencies have an opportunity to market and plan based on tangible evidence of change. For members of the community, outcome data can help us track, make decisions about, and improve our collective quality of life. Using the information for improvement and accountability Information about how participants change has always been seen as important, but very difficult to capture.