Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

The second edition of Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation offers managers, analysts, consultants, and educators in government, nonprofit, and private institutions a valuable resource that outlines efficient and economical methods for assessing program results and identifying ways to improve program performance. The Handbook has been thoroughly revised.  Many new chapters have been prepared for this edition, including chapters on logic modeling and on evaluation applications for small nonprofit organizations. Th e Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation is a comprehensive resource on evaluation, covering both in–depth program evaluations and performance monitoring.  It presents evaluation methods that will be useful at all levels of government and in nonprofit organizations.   This important book covers: A variety of evaluation designs, including designs for ongoing monitoring of program results and designs for in–depth evaluation of program performance  Selection of data collection procedures that help evaluators obtain relevant information in an efficient manner Methods for analyzing evaluation data Steps for increasing the usefulness and actual use of evaluation results by policymakers, managers, their staff members, and other stakeholders in order to improve programs and inform policy decisionmaking Selection and training of evaluators, quality control of the enterprise, standards and ethics in evaluation work, the creation of incentives for undertaking program evaluation, and future trends in program evaluation Praise for the First Edition "I am better in my job because I read the Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation , and without question, the analysts I supervise would benefit from reading this handbook." — John A. Mahone , Virginia Department of Planning and Budget

Figures, Tables, and Exhibits xi Preface xvii The Editors xix The Contributors xxiii Meeting the Need for Practical Evaluation Approaches: An Introduction xxxiii Kathryn E. Newcomer, Harry P. Hatry, Joseph S. Wholey Part One: Designing Performance Monitoring Systems and Evaluation Studies 1 1. Using Logic Models 7 John A. McLaughlin, Gretchen B. Jordan 2. Evaluability Assessment 33 Joseph S. Wholey 3. Implementation Evaluation 63 Arnold Love 4. Performance Monitoring 98 Theodore H. Poister 5. Quasi–Experimentation 126 Charles S. Reichardt, Melvin M. Mark 6. Using Randomized Experiments 150 Robert G. St. Pierre 7. Meta–Analysis, Systematic Reviews, and Research Syntheses 176 Robert F. Boruch, Anthony Petrosino Part Two: Practical Data Collection Procedures 205 8. Trained Observer Ratings 211 John M. Greiner 9. Using Surveys 257 Kathryn E. Newcomer, Timothy Triplett 10. Using Expert Judgment 292 Harvey A. Averch 11. Role Playing 310 Margery Austin Turner, Wendy Zimmermann 12. Using Focus Groups 340 Robert Goldenkoff 13. Collecting Data in the Field 363 Demetra Smith Nightingale, Shelli Balter Rossman 14. Using Agency Records 396 Harry P. Hatry Part Three: Analyzing Evaluation Data 413 15. Qualitative Data Analysis 417 Sharon L. Caudle 16. Using Statistics in Evaluation 439 Kathryn E. Newcomer, Philip W. Wirtz 17. Using Regression Analysis 479 Dale E. Berger 18. Cost–Effectiveness and Cost–Benefit Analysis 506 James Edwin Kee Part Four: Getting Evaluation Results Used 543 19. Pitfalls of Evaluation 547 Harry P. Hatry, Kathryn E. Newcomer 20. Managing Evaluation Projects 571 James B. Bell 21. Writing for Impact 604 George F. Grob 22. Using Organizational Report Cards 628 William T. Gormley Jr. 23. The Use of Evaluation by Nonprofit Organizations 649 Mary E. Kopczynski, Kathleen Pritchard 24. Other Issues and Trends in Evaluation 670 Harry P. Hatry, Joseph S. Wholey, Kathryn E. Newcomer Name Index 685 Subject Index 693

Joseph S. Wholey is a professor of public administration at the University of Southern California. Harry P. Hatry is a principal research associate and director of the Public Management Program at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. Kathryn E. Newcomer is director of the School of Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University.