246727 Federal Evaluation Strategy for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program

Tuesday, November 1, 2011: 3:10 PM

Lisa Trivits, PhD , Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
Seth Chamberlain, MSS , Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, Washington, DC
Amy Margolis, MPH , Office of Adolescent Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD
Heather Tevendale, PhD , Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Diana Tyson, PhD , Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
Alan Hershey, PhD , Mathematica Policy Research, Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ
Meredith Kelsey, PhD , Social and Economic Policy Division, Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA
Jean Knab, PhD , Mathematica Policy Research, Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ
Jean Layzer, PhD , Belmont Research Associates, Belmont Research Associates, Belmont, MA
Chris Trenholm, PhD , Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ
Susan Goerlich Zief, PhD , Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ
In 2010, a new Teenage Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program was established within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address the high rates of teenage pregnancy in the United States. This two-tier program focuses on replicating evidence-based program models and testing innovative approaches to teenage pregnancy prevention.

This presentation will describe the multi-level evaluation strategy for the HHS TPP Program, which includes a combination of rigorous grantee-level evaluation and federal-level evaluation studies. The evaluation activities are designed to answer the key question: What is the effectiveness of current TPP programs? More specifically, the evaluations are designed to determine:

� What happens when we replicate evidence-based programs? � Are there innovative or untested programs that are effective? � What can we learn for the next time we want to replicate these programs?

All evaluations are designed to meet the evidence standards of the HHS Evidence Review. This presentation will discuss the requirements for the rigorous grantee-level evaluations as well as the evaluation-focused technical assistance and support available for grantees. The presentation will also describe the three complementary federal evaluation studies: one focuses on evaluating replications of evidence-based program models; one focuses on evaluating innovative and untested models; and one focuses on evaluating community-wide, multi-component approaches to preventing teen pregnancy. Presenters will explain the research questions, evaluation designs, methodologies, and program models selected for each of the federal evaluation studies.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the multi-level federal strategy for evaluating the HHS Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. 2. Describe the requirements and technical assistance and support for the rigorous TPP grantee-level evaluations. 3. Describe the research questions, evaluation designs, and methodologies for the three complementary rigorous federal-level evaluations focused on teenage pregnancy prevention.

Keywords: Evaluation, Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee research and policy analysis for teen pregnancy prevention within DHHS and I am a member of the federal workgroup that oversees coordination of evaluation efforts of teen pregnancy prevention within the Department.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.