An Assessment Model for the Cooperative Extension Service.

The future of the Cooperative Extension Service depends on its ability to demonstrate its impact on its environment, to document its effectiveness and to maintain a climate of political legitimacy. An assessment model is proposed which relates organizational effectiveness to intended outcomes as defined by constituents within the environment. Four questions guide this research: (1) Who are Extension's clientele--with special emphasis on rural/farm clientele and equal opportunity compliance; (2) Are clientele satisfied--with a look at both organizational effectiveness for users and nonusers: (3) Does satisfaction translate into support--with a focus on special target populations; and (4) Does Extension have political legitimacy with its environment? To illustrate the model and provide some data to explicate research questions, information from a large statewide survey in Kentucky is utilized. The assessment model provides a framework for studying a public agency, like Extension, within an organizational perspective sensitive to the sociopolitical environment; it suggests policy issues and additional research questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]