Evaluation Essentials: Methods for Conducting Sound Research

The book introduces students and practitioners to all necessary concepts and tools used to evaluate programs and policies. It focuses on issues that arise when evaluating programs, using those offered by non-profit and governmental organizations serving different sectors (social services, health, education, social work) as case studies. The author gives the reader a solid background in the core concepts, theories, and methods of program evaluation. Readers will learn to form evaluation questions, describe programs using program theory and program logic models, understand causation as it relates to evaluation, and perform quasi-experimental design, grant writing, outcome measures, survey design, and sampling.