How do we know when an initiative is ready to pursue a rigorous evaluation? More and more funders, policymakers, and program leaders recognize the value of high-quality evidence. But to make good use of a program evaluation, initiatives must contend with a set of fundamental questions first. Some of these are about the initiative itself: What outcomes does it seek to affect? Are daily activities in line with long-term goals? Others are about the purpose of the evaluation: What do initiative stakeholders hope to learn? Who is the audience for evaluation findings? One way to answer these questions is to undertake an "evaluability assessment" -- a process designed to determine the current potential for a rigorous evaluation, and to provide recommendations for how an organization, or a group of partnering organizations, can prepare for a successful evaluation in the future. This report describes an evaluability assessment conducted by the Research Alliance for NYC Schools on behalf of the Teagle Foundation. The Foundation contracted the Research Alliance to explore the feasibility of a variety of approaches to evaluating its College-Community Connections (CCC) initiative, which funds partnerships between community-based organizations and universities, aimed at promoting college access and success among talented but underrepresented students in NYC.

How do we know when an initiative is ready to pursue a rigorous evaluation? More and more funders, policymakers, and program leaders recognize the value of high-quality evidence. But to make good use of a program evaluation, initiatives must contend with a set of fundamental questions first. Some of these are about the initiative itself: What outcomes does it seek to affect? Are daily activities in line with long-term goals? Others are about the purpose of the evaluation: What do initiative stakeholders hope to learn? Who is the audience for evaluation findings? One way to answer these questions is to undertake an "evaluability assessment" -- a process designed to determine the current potential for a rigorous evaluation, and to provide recommendations for how an organization, or a group of partnering organizations, can prepare for a successful evaluation in the future. This report describes an evaluability assessment conducted by the Research Alliance for NYC Schools on behalf of the Teagle Foundation. The Foundation contracted the Research Alliance to explore the feasibility of a variety of approaches to evaluating its College-Community Connections (CCC) initiative, which funds partnerships between community-based organizations and universities, aimed at promoting college access and success among talented but underrepresented students in NYC.