ARTICLEHEALTH PROMOTION PRACTICE / Month 20XXApril52 Evaluating Community Partnerships and Coalitions With Practitioners in Mind

Evaluation plays a key role in devel-oping and sustaining community partnerships and coalitions. We rec-ommend focusing on three levels of coalition evaluation that measure (a) processes that sustain and renew coalition infrastructure and func-tion; (b) programs intended to meet target activities, or those that work directly toward the partnership’s goals; and (c) changes in health sta-tus or the community. A tendency to focus on quick wins and short-term effects of programs may explain why some coalitions are not able to achieve systems and/or health out-comes change. Although measuring community-level or system changes (e.g., improving environmental qual-ity or changing insurance coverage policies) is much more difficult than evaluating program outcomes, it is essential. This article presents chal-lenges that coalition practitioners and evaluators face and concludes with practical resources for evaluation