Evaluating the Evaluations of Extension; why it matters?

 

What?

              Extension education is an entity, funded by land-grant universities nationwide, that’s purpose is to bridge opportunities of lifelong learning to local community members. These programs have deep historical roots in agriculture and home economics, but in recent years have expanded to programming areas such as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), civic engagement, and healthy living. Depending on the area, the extension agent, and the specific program being held, the target audience may vary between different ages. For instance, many agriculture extension agents will, oftentimes, have a lot of programming geared to farmers and other adults in the community. In opposition, 4-H agents may have a canning class held for children ages 9-19 or an embryology project for a kindergarten class. Non-formal education is an essential piece of extension programming and with that, a lot of the programs are made possible by internal and external funding. A large factor in receiving the funding needed to continue community programs is by evaluating the programming to ensure it is reaching its goals and meeting the needs of the community.

So, What?

From the beginning of extension to now, there have been so many more opportunities created for expanding the reach and cooperation of extension education programming. With the growth of technology, not only can local offices program cohesively, but there is also ample opportunity to do this on district, state, interstate and national levels. However, there is also a growing competition for public and private funding on those “larger scale” levels. So, while local programs may have adequate evaluations for local agencies and stakeholders, it may not be as extensive as needed for national stakeholders. This is because the evaluation of how impactful and beneficial 4-H camp, as an example, is to one county, may not speak adequately about the importance of continuing and funding 4-H on the statewide and national level. This also helps programming to evolve; Being so heavily based in non-formal education, it is important to evaluate programming to be sure it remains relevant and is meeting the needs of the population.

Now what?

While many extension programs and agents have evaluations for the programs, it is important to make sure that they are updated as needed and also not only addressing local concerns but also proves that importance of extension education on every scale. This may also benefit from impact statements, accompanied by facts and data showing that, in a nutshell, extension is “worth it” The work being done in extension matters, for families, farmers, adults, and children. As programmers, it is vital to show how important the work is that we do, to be able to continue to do it.

                                        Isle of Wight & Southampton County 4-H camp 2022

" Camp is what the world would be if the rest of the world knew it could be like this. " - Previous staff member at Airfield 4-H conference center

                                                         

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