Evaluation: Our philosophy

NAS is committed to rigorous review of all that we do. We want to know if what we offer works well or not, and how and when improvements can be made. We are a team with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Together we create an environment of inquiry and debate that we feel is useful to us as program developers and to the field we serve.

We create programs as an integrated set of services – to reach the right people, at the right times, in the right format for perspective-changing experiences. We know that by putting the right mix of leadership frameworks and management tools in the hands of a broad mix of arts and cultural leaders – staff and board, a diverse market of ideas and approaches will follow.

The process of evaluation is critical to doing the most good for the greatest number of people. Evaluation is fully integrated into all NAS program designs from the outset. We define learning objectives and desired program outcomes. We engage program participants and the broader arts and culture community in conversations that form the core of our learning. We look at the immediate, short-term and long-term outcomes.

NAS develops internal expertise in evaluation as well as engaging leading academic experts in the field. Experts advise on design of evaluation instruments and protocols in addition to ensuring all NAS evaluation initiatives meet the highest professional standards established by professional bodies such as the American Evaluation Association.