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. The 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.

The evaluation profession has experienced rapid growth in the past five years. Prior to 1995. there were five national evaluation organizations: the American Evnluntion Association (AEA). the Asociacion Centroamericana de Evaluacion (ACE). the Australasian Evaluation Society (AES). the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES). and the European Evaluation Society (EES). In November 1995. AEA and CES cosponsored an international evaluation conference in Vancouver, of the conference was "Evaluation for a New British Columbia. The theme Century-A Global Perspective." Delegates from 50 countries throughout Europe, Australia. New Zealand, Asia, Africa, and Central and South America attended the conference. The conference combined workshops and lecture fonnats to bring participants the most up-to-date and relevant information in a variety of sectors. Following the Vancouver conference, there was a gestation period, after which several national evaluation organizations in Europe were born (AEA/CES, Evaluation '95, On-Site Program). In 1997, EES held a conference in Stockholm. The theme of the conference was "What Works and for Whom'?" More than 280 evaluation professionals from 30 countries in Europe and throughout the world attended the conference. The conference provided a forum for academic professionals and civil servants to meet and share their experiences. Leaders emerged with goals to increase membership and to create extensive professional networks within the society (EES Newsletter, 2/97).

Achieve lasting educational benefits through masterfully administered school program evaluations! The annual process of evaluating school programs raises a legitimate question: how to implement quality program evaluations that will not drain a school's resources, but instead help create a school culture that promotes inspired teaching and high academic achievement-and meets NCLB guidelines? In this updated edition of the bestselling text, authors James R. Sanders and Carolyn D. Sullins demonstrate how an effective program evaluation process can conserve resources while yielding substantial benefits for teachers, parents, students, and schools. This user-friendly resource provides concise yet comprehensive coverage of school program evaluation through a highly regarded five-step program. Illustrated by examples and case studies, this approach is designed to help educators develop competence and confidence in program evaluation. Both practicing and aspiring educators can learn to: Successfully manage logistical and scheduling problems Strategically approach school politics, ethical considerations, and interpersonal relations Comprehensively organize and analyze information regarding school programs Effectively respond to the No Child Left Behind Act Discover how to skillfully administer school evaluations that produce lasting educational results!

"The Program Evaluation Standards is a 'must-have' book for anyone responsible for reviewing evaluation proposals, planning and conducting evaluations, managing evaluation projects, or judging the merit and worth of evaluations once completed. For experienced practitioners, it provides a set of values and principles by which to guide successful practice, that is, a set of criteria that determines whether educational evaluations are trustworthy and fair. The Standards sets expectations of the design and implementation of educational evaluation for all practitioners in all types of educational arenas, even those involved in social programming endeavors. For newcomers and those less experienced who may be responsible for commissioning and using evaluations, the Standards supplies a useful framework of generating a list of questions to raise about any evaluation plan or final report in an effort to assess its pros and cons. The book is an invaluable 'how-to' resource for graduate students venturing out into the field, and it instills a sense of what it means to be a responsible evaluator. For clients or consumers, the book offers advice on what they should expect of an evaluation"--Publisher description.

Using an original framework, this practical introduction to evaluation shows how to identify appropriate forms and approaches, involve stakeholders in the planning process and disseminate the evaluation findings.

Through the use of specific examples to illustrate evaluation research goals and methods, this book provides readers with an overview of the science and politics of evaluation research. The Second Edition includes coverage of meta-analysis, selection models and instrumental variables.