Program Evaluation - In Theory and Practice

Through the ingenious use of dialogue, this book discusses-and answers-key questions about evaluation, such as the origins of evaluation knowledge, the historical and social role of evaluation, and concerns about ethics and social justice. How does evaluation deal with the complexity of the real world? How does it deal with and give voice to a broad spectrum of cultures and narratives? And, finally, how can we address the over-arching questions about the duties, rights, and responsibilities of an evaluator? Through these informal dialogues, important considerations for understanding, conceptualizing, and carrying out evaluation in all sorts of programs and projects are discussed, providing thought-provoking answers regardless of one's own approach to evaluation. While each chapter can stand alone, together they provide a coherent professional world view, giving the reader an in-depth understanding of program evaluation as a vital and independent profession based on a broad foundation of research and theoretical knowledge. Both theoretical and practical, this text is an important resource for practitioner and students enrolled in Program Evaluation courses in a large variety of disciplines such as education, management, public administration, and social work, as well as their teachers. With more than thirty years of experience in evaluation, Dr. Miri Levin-Rozalis has served as a senior lecturer and head of evaluation at Ben-Gurion University, where she was also the head of the graduate and post-graduate evaluation programs. At the Mofet Institute, she was co-head of the evaluation and measurement program for teachers' trainers. For several years, the author was chairperson of the Israeli Association for Program Evaluation (IAPE), which she helped to establish. She is currently an organizational learning coordinator at the Davidson Institute of Science Education at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

About the Author :
With more than thirty years of experience in evaluation, Dr. Miri Levin-Rozalis has served as a senior lecturer and head of evaluation at Ben-Gurion University, where she was also the head of the graduate and post-graduate evaluation programs. At the Mofet Institute, she was co-head of the evaluation and measurement program for teachers' trainers. For several years, the author was chairperson of the Israeli Association for Program Evaluation (IAPE), which she helped to establish. She is currently an organizational learning coordinator at the Davidson Institute of Science Education at the Weizmann Institute of Science.