Institute Profile

The Smoky Mountain Research Institute:

• Develops approaches to research and evaluation that focus on identifying practices that promote and enhance healthy behavior and functioning.


• Conducts independent external evaluations of programs and practices in early intervention, family support, and other kinds of programs and organizations.


• Engages in process-oriented research and evaluation to identify the characteristics of programs and practices that are most successful in achieving intended outcomes.


• Works collaboratively with early intervention, family support, and other programs and organizations to develop evaluation plans and tools for implementing the plans.


• Produces written materials describing our evaluation methods and procedures, and prepares reports of evaluation findings.

The Smoky Mountain Research Institute, in concert with its sister organization, the Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute, conducts both external and internal evaluations of policies, programs, and practices that involve practically useful evaluation methodologies and approaches. Our approach to evaluation is described at our Center for Practical Evaluation.