ABSTRACT
Policy researchers sometimes have to deliver messages that clients or stakeholders do not want to hear. This chapter summarizes an evaluation of a local program in which the client had a major investment, as well as high expectations of a positive evaluation outcome. The chapter also demonstrates the importance of integrating the findings of process evaluation and outcome evaluation in policy research. The project was clearly situated on the feedback loop between policy evaluation and policy planning. Evaluation research is an expected part of demonstrations so that the implementation and outcome effectiveness of the program can be documented and tested. The client's insistence on a rigorous outcome evaluation meant that this study focused on causal information needs more than is the case with many examples of policy research, particularly those with small budgets. The Dropout Prevention Program evaluation exemplifies basic lessons in policy research.
