Measuring Progress

The comprehensive evaluation of the Wisconsin Partnership Program's progress as described in the companion report, "Measuring our Progress: The Wisconsin Partnership Program Evaluation" was another major consideration for the five-year plan.

Three levels of progress assessment evaluation were used: evaluation of broad strategic activities, grant-making processes and individual grant evaluations. A brief description of each follows.

Strategic Evaluation

The Wisconsin Partnership Program of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health conducted a strategic evaluation in 2008 to track progress on goals and strengthen program-wide implementation.

The two governing committees (Oversight and Advisory Committee and Medical Education and Research Committee) identified central elements of a five-part framework to assess progress in advancing the program's mission and guide the five-year plan development. The evaluation considered the following five strategic focus areas:

• Advancing the Public Health System: Considered how the program is helping to advance the capacity of Wisconsin's public health system through directed grants to advance the goals and objectives of the state health plan
• UW School of Medicine and Public Health Transformation: Considered how the Wisconsin Partnership Program is helping to advance the medical school's transformation to an integrated school of medicine and public health
• Balanced Research and Education Portfolio: Determined how expenditures reflect a range of research and education initiatives by time and approach with a timeline for results
• Community-Academic Partnership Model: Determined how the Wisconsin Partnership Program is promoting successful and effective collaborations, and how they are contributing to improvements in population health
• Governance and Stewardship: Provided an assessment of the program's governance and stewardship responsibilities

Process Evaluations

To assure that funds are being used effectively, the two committees annually examined how they solicit, review and make grant awards. The Wisconsin Partnership Program has also devoted attention to finding ways to gather feedback from stakeholders, including grantees, grant-seekers and key leaders in Wisconsin by using anonymous surveys, interviews and forums.

These evaluations help refine and revise the grant-making process as needed, providing continuous quality improvement. Process evaluations were helpful in directing Wisconsin Partnership Program grant-making activities for this five-year plan.

Individual Grant Evaluations

The Wisconsin Partnership Program's resources are devoted to making grants to faculty and community organizations to advance the program's mission and goals. Individual grant evaluations assess the impact of awards, and help direct program improvement.

To assess progress and outcomes, grantees submit regular progress reports reviewed by Wisconsin Partnership Program staff and committee members. At project completion, grantees submit final reports outlining results and outcomes that are reviewed by the partnership's staff and by the appropriate committee.