The General Assembly finds:
(1) Effective evaluation serves to enhance quality in existing services and programs by: Ensuring accountability for funds and services used;
(2) Raising the bar for standards and expectations; and
(3) Increasing the use of data to inform program operation and decision making;
(4) The general focus of effective evaluation is on programs and services, but effective evaluation can be applied also to individuals, organizations, communities, and societies or cultures;
(5) In a state where resources are often scarce, effective and credible evaluation is the heart of a healthy system and is critical to ensure that necessary programs and services are delivered and ineffective programs and practices eliminated; and
(6) To help groups accomplish their objectives, empowerment evaluation and other collaborative forms of evaluation are particularly useful in collaborative endeavors that require complex systems and diverse groups.