Program evaluation : pragmatic methods for social work and human service agencies / created by Allen Rubin

Includes bibliographical references and index

Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction and overview; 2. Ethical and cultural issues in program evaluation; Part II. Quantitative and Qualitative Methods for Formative and Process Evaluations: 3. Needs assessment; 4. Survey methods for program planning and monitoring; Part III. Evaluating Outcome in Service-Orientated Agencies: 5. Selecting and measuring outcome objectives; 6. Inference and logic in pragmatic outcome evaluation: don't let the perfect become the enemy of good; 7. Feasible outcome evaluation designs; 8. Single-case designs for evaluating programs and practice; 9. Practical and political pitfalls in outcome evaluations; Part IV. Analyzing and Presenting Data: 10. Analyzing and presenting data from formative and process evaluations; 11. Anaylzing data from outcome evaluations; 12. Writing and disseminating evaluation reports; Epilogue. More tips for becoming a successful evaluator.

"During the nearly half a century that I have been teaching courses on program evaluation I have not found a textbook that fit my course as well as I preferred. The main problem has been that some books cover too much research methods content that duplicates what students learn in their research methods courses, while other books don't have enough of that content. The problem is understandable, because program evaluation is carried out using research methods. Another reason why I have been dissatisfied with the books with heavy doses of research content is that so much of that content is pitched to wellfunded evaluations of national and international projects for which program evaluation is a key component of the program from its outset. Very sophisticated research designs are not only feasible in such projects, they are expected. Program evaluation in local social and human service agencies - where most of my students begin their careers - is unlike program evaluation in those projects in several important ways"