CDC Program Evaluation Framework, 2024
Authors: Daniel P. Kidder, Leslie A. Fierro, Elena Luna, Heather Salvaggio, Amanda McWhorter, Shelly-Ann Bowen, Rebecca Murphy-Hoefer, Sally Thigpen, Dayna Alexander, Theresa L. Armstead, Euna August, Destiny Bruce, Seseni Nu Clarke, Cassandra Davis, Amia Downes, Sarah Gill, L. Duane House, Michael Kerzner, Karen Kun, Karen Mumford, Leah Robin, Dara Schlueter, Michael Schooley, Eduardo Valverde, Linda Vo, Donjanea Williams, Kai Young, Anita Alston Jones, Bayo Arthur, Respiratory Diseases, Omoshalewa Bamkole, Diana Bartlett, Mohamed Bouras, Health Promotion, Christopher J. Cappelli, Denise C. Carty, Jessica Crowell, Shivani Dama, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis Prevention, Jina Dcruz, Respiratory Diseases, Dora Ducak, Tambra Dunams, Arlene Edwards, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis Prevention, Oluwayomi Fabayo, Health Promotion, Leah S. Fischer, Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Holly H. Fisher, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis Prevention, Cassandra Martin Frazier, Sherese Bleechington Garrett, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis Prevention, Danique Gigger, Danielle Gilliard Pella, Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Jeffrey M. Gordon, Bradford Greening, Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Jordan D. Helms, Sara Jacenko, Jill Kuhn, Nicole Kuiper, Health Promotion, S. Rene Lavinghouze, Health Promotion, Neranga Liyanaarachchige, Elizabeth Lummus, Brandy L. Peterson, None Maddox, Angèle Marandet, Mariette Marano-Lee, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis Prevention, Brittany Marshall, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis Prevention, Elizabeth Martin, Workplace Equity, Caitlin McColloch, Susi McGhee, Carol Nixon, Lijing Ouyang, Health Promotion, Jasmine R. Owens, Margaret Paek, Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Suchita Patel, Respiratory Diseases, Miriam Phields, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis Prevention, Shubha Rao, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis Prevention, Minda D. Reed, Michelle Roth, Environmental Diseases, Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Maria Sanchez, Developmental Disabilities, Delight Satter, Arielle Shiver, Health Promotion, Kat Sisler, Amrita Tailor, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis Prevention, Affaud Tanon, Andrea Torres, Health Promotion, Silvia M. Trigoso, Ann Ussery-Hall, Ijeoma Uzoezie, Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Nga Vuong, Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Maureen Wilce, Shaunta S. Wright, Monique Young, Health Promotion
Journal: MMWR Recommendations and Reports (2024)

Program evaluation is a critical tool for understanding and improving organizational activities and systems. This report updates the 1999 CDC Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health (CDC. Framework for program evaluation in public health. MMWR Recomm Rep 1999;48[No. RR-11];1-40) by integrating major advancements in the fields of evaluation and public health, lessons learned from practical applications of the original framework, and current Federal agency policies and practices. A practical, nonprescriptive tool, the updated 2024 framework is designed to summarize and organize essential elements of program evaluation, and can be applied at any level from individual programs to broader systems by novices and experts for planning and implementing an evaluation. Although many of the key aspects from the 1999 framework remain, certain key differences exist. For example, this updated framework also includes six steps that describe the general process of evaluation planning and implementation, but some content and step names have changed (e.g., the first step has been renamed Assess context). The standards for high-quality evaluation remain central to the framework, although they have been updated to the five Federal evaluation standards. The most substantial change from the 1999 framework is the addition of three cross-cutting actions that are core tenets to incorporate within each evaluation step: engage collaboratively, advance equity, and learn from and use insights. The 2024 framework provides a guide for designing and conducting evaluation across many topics within and outside of public health that anyone involved in program evaluation efforts can use alone or in conjunction with other evaluation approaches, tools, or methods to build evidence, understand programs, and refine evidence-based decision-making to improve all program outcomes.