The Evaluation Division is currently conducting the following evaluation projects.

Exchange Alumni Coordination Review

Alumni of ECA exchanges play a key role in multiplying the benefits of their exchange programs and fostering mutual understanding in their home countries. To promote greater contact and cooperation among exchange alumni, a small but growing number of U.S. Missions have designated full- or part-time Alumni Coordinators that are focused on alumni outreach and coordination. The purpose of this Exchange Alumni Coordination Review is to assess the extent to which Posts are engaging with their exchange alumni, to document key success factors and challenges, and to assess how designated Alumni Coordinators are helping Posts to better sustain engagement with their exchange alumni. This Review is not a program evaluation, and does not involve measuring program outcomes or impacts. Rather, this Review assesses the function of designated Alumni Coordinators in supporting and expanding alumni outreach at selected Posts. This review is being conducted in two phases. The first phase includes an in-depth review of alumni coordination in two countries (conducting focus groups or interviews with alumni, Alumni Coordinators, other Post staff, and representatives of alumni organizations). The second phase will include similarly in-depth research in two additional countries, as well as a global survey of Alumni Coordinators and exchange alumni.

FLEX Host Family Evaluation

The goal of the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) is to provide an opportunity for high school students from Eurasian countries to experience life in a democratic society and to help promote democratic values and institutions in Eurasia. A critical component of the FLEX program is the host family. All FLEX participants live with a US host family during their one-year exchange. Program stakeholders anticipate that FLEX host families, and the communities in which they live, will develop a better understanding of foreign students’ countries and cultures, while conveying fundamental information about the United States and U.S. society. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact that hosting FLEX foreign exchange students has on U.S. host families. Through interviews, focus groups, and surveys the study will gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative data regarding changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of U.S. host families as a result of hosting students participating in the FLEX Program.

Journalism and Media Exchange Programs

This new evaluation assesses the effectiveness of Journalism and Media programs and projects administered by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The evaluation concentrates on programs and projects conducted under the auspices of the International Visitors Leadership Program, the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists, and the Office of Citizen Exchanges. These programs seek to achieve key ECA Bureau Goals: increasing mutual understanding and strengthening linkages between people and institutions in the United States and overseas. They also hold thematic goals specific to journalism and media initiatives, such as improving the practice of journalism, strengthening new media outlets, building capacity for investigative and in-depth reporting, providing independent sources of information, and professionalizing the fields of journalism and broadcast media, among others. The evaluation will rely on both quantitative and qualitative sources of data, for programs conducted between 2001 and 2007. InterMedia, located in Washington, D.C., is conducting the evaluation.

Youth Exchange and Study Program

The Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) brings students from predominantly Muslim countries to the United States to live with American families and attend high school for either one year or one semester. The program began in August 2003 and brought 163 students from 12 countries. In the second year, the program was expanded to 475 students from 18 countries, and for the third year, the program will include 650 students from 24 countries. The purpose of the evaluation is to evaluate from the outset of the program whether the program is meeting its goals of 1) providing the opportunity for young people in selected countries to learn more about American society, values, and culture; 2) fostering personal connections; 3) enhancing American understanding of the foreign students’ countries and cultures; and 4) supporting program alumni to put the knowledge and skills acquired to use in their home countries. For each of the first three cohorts, the evaluation consists of three phases: a pre-program survey, an end-of-program survey, and a one-year post-program survey. Intermedia, located in Washington, D.C., is conducting the evaluation.