Many youth development and education programs aim to improve character and leadership development. Measuring these areas is challenging because they are closely related and broadly defined. Clear definitions of character and leadership development are essential before conducting any evaluation.
We are working with the Center for Leadership Development (CLD), a college and career-readiness program, to improve its internal data collection and evaluation. CLD focuses on character development and leadership effectiveness. To measure these areas, we guided CLD Leadership in defining the focus areas, assessing their alignment across 13 programs and services, developing short-term outcomes, and mapping them to long-term goals.
1. Establish Clear Definitions
The Center for Leadership Development uses a model based on character development and leadership effectiveness to assess participants’ college and career readiness. To measure these principles separately, the team established clear definitions for each. For instance, discipline is a key aspect of readiness, as it enables individuals to complete assignments on time in both academic and professional environments.
2. Ensure Alignment with Programming
The CLD leadership team identified programs that emphasize character development and leadership effectiveness to ensure alignment with core principles. We reviewed each program with the team to confirm their focus matched these principles and definitions. This process promotes team understanding and ensures that measures align with the curriculum or services.
3. Develop Short-term Outcomes
After defining character development and leadership effectiveness, CLD’s leadership team identified short-term outcomes aligned with these definitions. For instance, self-discipline was recognized as a key aspect of character development. The program should include a short-term outcome that measures changes in participants’ self-discipline. This approach enables staff to assess whether the curriculum effectively addresses these areas and supports progress toward organizational goals.
4. Align to Long-term Outcomes
The CLD leadership team ensured that the principles aligned with the organization’s long-term goals by reviewing research and discussing the importance of character and leadership development in preparing students for college and careers. Aligning these principles with long-term goals helps maintain focus on the organization’s vision and impact.
Many programs develop character and leadership abilities in youth at the same time, making it difficult to measure these traits separately since character development supports strong leadership. Organizations can address this by establishing clear definitions and setting short-term outcomes to assess program and organizational impact. Transform Consulting Group is available to support your data and evaluation needs. Please contact us to learn more.
