Experimental evaluation design for program improvement / created by Laura R Peck, Abt Associates Inc., Social & Economic Policy Division.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

List of Boxes, Figures, and TablesVolume Editors' IntroductionAbout the AuthorAcknowledgmentsChapter 1 * Introduction The State of the Field The Ethics of Experimentation What This Book Covers Questions and Exercises Resources for Additional LearningChapter 2 * Conceptual Framework: From Program Logic Model to Evaluation Logic Model Program Logic Model Evaluation Logic Model Conclusion Questions and Exercises Resources for Additional LearningChapter 3 * The Basic Experimental Design Defined Random Assignment Explained The Basic (Two-Armed) Experimental Design To Have a Control Group or Not to Have A Control Group? Questions and Exercises Resources for Additional LearningChapter 4 * Variants of the Experimental Design Multi-Armed Designs Factorial Designs Multistage Designs Staggered Introduction Designs Blended Designs Aligning Evaluation Design Options With Program Characteristics and Research Questions Conclusion Questions and ExercisesChapter 5 * Practical Considerations and Conclusion Some Practical Considerations Road Testing Principles for Conducting High-Quality Evaluation Questions and Exercises Resources for Additional LearningAppendix * Doing the Math and Other Technical Considerations Estimating Treatment Impacts How to Interpret Results Handling Treatment Group No-Shows and Control Group Crossovers Subgroup Analyses Conclusion Questions and Exercises Resources for Additional LearningReferencesGlossaryIndex

"The concepts of cause and effect are critical to the field of program evaluation. Experimentally-designed evaluations-those that randomize to treatment and control groups-offer a convincing means for establishing a causal connection between a program and its effects. This book considers a range of impact evaluation questions, particularly those questions that focus on the impact of specific aspects of a program. Laura R. Peck shows how a variety of experimental evaluation design options can provide answers to these questions, and she suggests opportunities for experiments to be applied in more varied settings and focused on program improvement efforts"--