2023 Program Planning and Evaluation for PYD Impact Fall Academy
Academy Dates
October 16th through December 7th (Learning Phase)
December 12th – April 4th (Application Phase)
Academy Tuition
Full tuition for the academy is $375 ($250 for Phase One only)
Participants are encouraged to complete both phases for maximum benefit.
The actual cost of the academy is $1,500, which is being partially underwritten by generous sponsors
Certificate of Completion
Participants who complete all requirements for both phases of the Academy will receive a Certificate of 4-H Planning and Evaluation of PYD Mastery.
The 4-H PYD Academy equips 4-H and other youth development professionals with the essential knowledge and skills to plan, implement, and evaluate high-quality youth development programs that help youth thrive. The National 4-H PYD Academy is an output of the 4-H PLWG Chartered Committee on Positive Youth Development. 4-H PYD Academies are convened and supported by National 4-H Council in collaboration with Extension 4-H professionals from across the country. The purpose of the PYD Academy is to ensure that 4-H educators possess the knowledge and skills they need to plan, implement and evaluate high quality 4-H Positive Youth Development programs for youth.
Audience and Purpose
The Program Planning and Evaluation for Positive Youth Development (PYD) Impact prepares educators to intentionally plan and evaluate PYD programming as defined by the 4-H Thriving Model. The academy is recommended for all 4-H professionals with a minimum of 3 years of 4-H career or other relevant youth development experience and an interest in program evaluation related to positive youth development and the 4-H Thriving Model.
The academy takes place in two phases, and participants are encouraged to participate in both phases.
Phase One is the learning portion of the academy, where participants will learn how to move from theory to action though intentional program planning and increase their capacity for the evaluation of PYD as defined by the 4-H Thriving Model. Phase One contains 20 hours of virtual learning, taking place over five weeks. Each week participants engage in self-paced learning followed by a 2-hour live webinar session.
Phase Two engages participants in monthly learning circles designed to support putting learning into practice. Learning circles consist of eight academy participants who are guided by a mentor over 5 monthly sessions, providing support and guidance as academy learning is put into practice in 4-H programs.
Learning Outcomes
Participants in this academy will revisit the research base of the 4-H Thriving Model that informs everyday 4-H practice. Participants will learn how to move from theory to action through intentional program planning and increase their capacity for the evaluation of PYD as defined by the 4-H Thriving Model.
Specifically, participants in this academy will
- Explore the influence of evaluative thinking on their work and engage in asking the right questions and identifying the sources of evidence to inform their work.
- Be able to articulate their “why”, intentionally design programs to achieve intended PYD outcomes, and be introduced to strategies for assessing the implementation and the impact of positive youth development as defined by the 4-H Thriving Model.
- Develop individual action plans to apply evaluation strategies in their work and leverage that data to make data-driven decisions and share the impact of their work.
Session One: Introduction to Evaluative Thinking & Theory of Action
This session introduces participants to each other and will review the research base of positive youth development (PYD) and how that research is reflected in the 4-H Thriving Model. It will then explore the influence of evaluative thinking and introduce moving from theory to action through intentional program planning. Self-paced learning assignments include academy welcome and introduction activities, a review of the 4-H Thriving Model, and an introduction to evaluative thinking. During the live webinar session, hosted by an experienced PYD evaluator, participants will learn more about the application of evaluative thinking in their work and the translation of theory to practice in program planning and evaluation. Participants will also be introduced to an individual action planning tool that will be used throughout the subsequent lessons.
Virtual Learning Content Open October 16 (2 hours, self-paced)
Live Webinar Sessions: Tuesday October 24 OR Thursday October 26 (2 hours)
12PM – 2PM ET
Session Two: Intentional Program Design
This session will continue to build on moving from theory to practice and focus on establishing the connections between the delivery of youth development programming and the intended PYD outcomes. Self-paced learning assignments will include a review of a continuous improvement model and an introduction to intentional program design. During the live webinar session, hosted by an experienced PYD evaluator, participants will learn more about establishing good performance objectives, following the steps in a program cycle and will be introduced to the Intentional Program Design Rubric.
Virtual Learning Content Open October 23 (2 hours, self-paced)
Live Webinar Sessions: Tuesday October 31 OR Thursday November 2 (2 hours)
12PM – 2PM ET
Session Three: Measuring PYD Implementation
This session will focus on the implementation and assessment of PYD as defined by the 4-H Thriving Model. Self-paced learning assignments will include a review of the Developmental Context Layer of the 4-H Thriving Model and an introduction to methods for gathering participatory feedback. During the live webinar session, hosted by an experienced PYD evaluator, participants will learn more about monitoring their performance objectives, discuss the application of feedback in a continuous improvement model, and be introduced to program quality observations and a Developmental Context Fidelity measure.
Virtual Learning Content Open October 31 (2 hours, self-paced)
Live Webinar Sessions: Tuesday November 7 OR Thursday November 9 (2 hours)
12PM – 2PM ET
Session Four: Connecting Implementation to Outcomes
This session will connect the intentional “what” we do to “why” we do it and examine the measurement of outputs vs. outcomes. Self-paced learning assignments will include a review of the youth thriving indicators and the developmental outcomes of the 4-H Thriving Model and the research establishing the connection between PYD and the learning outcomes of individual programs. During the live webinar session, hosted by an experienced PYD evaluator, participants will be explore resources for measuring PYD as defined by the 4-H Thriving Model and discuss strategies for data collection, analysis and reporting in their respective programs.
Virtual Learning Content Open November 6 (2 hours, self-paced)
Live Webinar Sessions: Tuesday November 14 OR Thursday November 16 (2 hours)
12PM – 2PM ET
Session Five: Sharing PYD Impact
This session will revisit the program cycle and re-examine the connection between program planning and evaluation. Self-paced learning assignments will include instruction on individual action plans, best practices for sharing impact stories and an introduction to data driven decisions. During the live webinar session, hosted by an experienced PYD evaluator, participants will “complete” the program cycle, discuss the value of an evaluation network and discuss the usefulness of connecting program quality data, PYD thriving indicators and outcome data and learning outcome data to make data driven decisions and to tell their impact stories.
Virtual Learning Content Open November 27 (2 hours, self-paced)
Live Webinar Sessions: Tuesday December 5 OR Thursday December 7 (2 hours)
12PM – 2PM ET
Phase Two: Application Learning Circles
Learning the theory and practice of PYD program planning and evaluation is only the beginning! For if what is learned is not applied, then the outcomes we know are possible for youth won’t happen. The application learning circles of the Program Planning and Evaluation for PYD Academy will provide support and guidance as participants take what they have learned and put it to work in their programs.
Application learning circles consist of small groups of approximately eight academy participants that meet for five monthly sessions (December to April) with a learning circle facilitator. Guided by the interests of participants, the learning circles will encourage the application of learning to specific aspects of 4-H program planning and evaluation. Participants will learn from and support each other as each works toward a specific application goal or project over the five month period.
The schedule for the 90 minute learning circles is listed below. There are three group times available each month. Because the learning circle is a small community that works together across sessions, participants must stay with the same learning circle group month to month. You will be offered the opportunity to select your preferred group time, but those cannot be guaranteed.
All learning circles take place from 12:00pm to 1:30 pm ET on the dates below:
(11am- 12:30pm; Central; 10am – 11:30am Mountain; 9am to 10:30 am Pacific)
| Group Time A | Group Time B | Group Time C | |
| December | Tuesday December 12 | Wednesday December 13 | Thursday December 14 |
| January | Tuesday January 16 | Wednesday January 17 | Thursday January 18 |
| February | Tuesday February 13 | Wednesday February 14 | Thursday February 15 |
| March | Tuesday March 5 | Wednesday March 6 | Thursday March 7 |
| April | Tuesday April 2 | Wednesday April 3 | Thursday April 4 |