Program Evaluation in Practice: Core Concepts and Examples for Discussion and Analysis(Research Methods for the Social Sciences)

The lack of teaching cases in program evaluation is often cited as a gap in the field. This ground-breaking book fills this gap, covering the essentials of program evaluation as it is used in education and with a wide variety of evaluation projects to be discussed, analyzed, and reflected upon. The book covers the essentials of program evaluation, including foundation and types of evaluation, tools for collecting data, writing of reports, and sharing of findings. Individual cases cover classroom instruction, community-based program, teacher training, professional development, a secondary-school based program, after-school program, reading achievement, school-improvement grant, and confidentiality. Each case is structured to include learning objectives, program description, evaluation plan, summary of evaluation activities and findings, key concepts, discussion questions, class activities, and suggested reading. As useful for students as it is for evaluators in training, Program Evaluation in Practice is a must-have for those aspiring to become effective evaluators.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables, Figures, and Exhibits. Preface. Acknowledgments. The Author. PART ONE: INTRODUCTION. 1. FOUNDATIONS OF PROGRAM EVALUATION. Program Evaluation Vignette. What Is Program Evaluation?. Training in Program Evaluation. Internal and External Evaluators. Types or Models of Program Evaluation. How to Use this Book. Additional Resources. Tools for Collecting Data. Writing the Evaluation Report. Dissemination and Use of Evaluation Findings. PART TWO: CASE STUDIES. 2. IMPROVING STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS THROUGH INQUIRY-BASED INSTRUCTION. Learning Objectives. The Evaluator. The Program. The Evaluation Plan. Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. 3. EVALUATION OF A COMMUNITY-BASED MENTOR PROGRAM. Learning Objective. The Evaluators. The Program. The Evaluation Plan. Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. 4. TEACHER CANDIDATES INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO THEIR STUDENT TEACHING EXPERIENCE. Learning Objectives. The Evaluators. The Program. The Evaluation Plan. Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. 5. EVALUATION OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY PROJECT IN A LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOL DISTRICT. Learning Objectives. The Evaluator. The Program. The Evaluation Plan. Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. 6. EXPANSION OF A HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE PROGRAM. Learning Objectives. The Evaluators. The Program. The Evaluation Plan. Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. 7. EVALUATION OF A PROVEN PRACTICE FOR READING ACHIEVEMENT. Learning Objectives. The Evaluators. The Program. The Evaluation Plan. Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. 8. PROJECT PLAN FOR EVALUATION OF A STATEWIDE AFTER-SCHOOL INITIATIVE. Learning Objectives. The Evaluators. The Program. The Initial Challenge. The Evaluation Plan. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. 9. AN EVALUATION OF A TRAINING PROGRAM IN MATHEMATICS FOR TEACHERS. Learning Objectives. The Evaluators. The Program. The Evaluation Plan. Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. 10. EVALUATORS-IN-TRAINING: ISSUES OF CONFIDENTIALITY . Learning Objectives. The Evaluators. The Program. The Evaluation Plan. Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. 11. EVALUATION OF A SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GRANT TO INCREASE PARENT INVOLVEMENT. Learning Objectives. The Evaluators. The Program. The Evaluation Plan. Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings. Final Thoughts. Key Concepts. Discussion Questions. Class Activities. Suggested Reading. References.

About the Author :
The Author Dean T. Spaulding is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the College of Saint Rose. He is the former chair for Teaching Program Evaluation for the American Evaluation Association. He is also a coauthor of Methods in Educational Research: From Theory to Practice from Jossey-Bass.