Evaluating a training institute for juvenile court judges

Increasing attention of late has been directed toward determining the dynamics and the effectiveness of training institutes. Such evaluations provide an indication of impact of specified kinds of material and of outcomes sometimes unanticipated by the conference planners. They allow for refashioning of conference content and for comparative statements regarding subsequent endeavors. The present paper reviews evaluative techniques employed to monitor a training course offered to juvenile court judges, assessing their utility and indicating some of the findings. Logbooks, questionnaires, inquiries submitted by conference speakers, and similar tools were used. The authors, who did not take part in the program but served as evaluators, suggest that, taken together, the various evaluative approaches appear to offer a rounded portrait of the events and consequences of the training institute under review and an approach that might be useful for similar undertakings.