VOICES
Untangling 2 important change tools
By Joe McFarland and Nikki Mouton
Categories: Evaluation & impact, ResearchOctober 2018
Vol. 39 No. 5
Q: What is the difference between a logic model and a theory of change? In their role as coaches for the Learning Forward Academy, Joe McFarland and Nikki Mouton encounter this question a lot. Both logic models and theories of change help us plan, implement, and evaluate programs and initiatives. They are useful for targeting problems of practice like the ones Academy members identify and for a host of other goals. McFarland and Mouton weigh in on the difference between the two, how they can complement one another, and why we shouldn’t get too hung up on terminology. A: Theory of change and logic models have many commonalities, and it’s understandable that people often confuse them. Yet there are significant differences in how they are
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Joe McFarland and Nikki Mouton are coaches of Learning Forward Academy Class of 2020, whose theme is “To infinity and beyond” — a saying from the movie Toy Story. McFarland and Mouton stand with cutouts of two of the movie’s main characters during the Learning Forward Institutes in Portland, Oregon, in July.
Additional Resources
For more information about logic models and theory of change, including examples, check out these resources.
Assessing Impact: Evaluating Professional Learning (3rd edition) by Joellen Killion. Available at the Learning Forward bookstore, lf.wphlab.com/store or 800-727-7288.
Logic Models for Selecting, Designing, and Implementing Evidence-Based School Leadership Interventions, published by the RAND Corporation. Available at www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/Logic-Model-Evidence-Based-School-Leadership-Interventions.pdf.
Nikki Mouton is Learning Forward’s senior district fellow, supporting systems in designing, implementing, and evaluating professional learning that increases the capacity of system, school, and classroom leaders. She previously served as deputy chief academic officer for Dallas Independent School District. She spent the bulk of her career in Gwinnet County Schools, serving as a teacher, science director, and executive director of staff development/curriculum and instruction for the nation’s 12th largest school district.
Categories: Evaluation & impact, Research
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