ABSTRACT
Chapter 6, “The Assessment of Need,” addresses what is typically one of the first steps in a program evaluation, although at times it is even considered a separate endeavor. A working definition of need is provided, distinguishing needs in program evaluation from the common use of the term to mean “wants” or related concepts. The main sources of information about needs and the main approaches to gathering and making use of that information are described. Important challenges leading to problematic assessment of needs are listed along with strategies for avoiding those problems. The chapter concludes with a case study illustrating how a needs assessment provided vital corrective information to a program that had made some inaccurate assumptions about their clients.
