Including a new section on evaluation accountability, this Third Edition details 30 standards which give advice to those interested in planning, implementing and using program evaluations.

This book is written to help human service program administrators either in terpret or conduct program evaluations. Our intended audience includes admin istrators and those students being trained for careers in human services administration. Our focus is on persons interested in assessing programs in which people work with people to improve their condition. The book's title, Program Evaluation: A Field Guide for Administrators, describes how we hope you use this book-as a tool. In writing the book, we have attempted to meet the needs of persons who have to conduct program evaluations as well as those who must use those evaluations. Hence, we have attempted to make the book "user friendly. " You will find, for example, numer ous guidelines, cautions, and specific suggestions. Use the book actively. Our primary motive is to help administrators make better decisions. In fact, the primary reason for program evaluation is to help program administrators make good decisions. These decisions often must balance the goals of equity (or fairness in the distribution of goods and services among people in the economy), efficiency (obtaining the most output for the least resources), and political feasi bility. Take, for example, the administrator who must decide between a new program favored by some of the program's constituents, and maintaining the status quo, which is favored by other constituents.

With oversight from the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, Yarbrough, Schulha, Hopson, and Caruthers have revised and illustrated this new edition of the Program Evaluation Standards. These thirty standards support the core attributes of evaluation quality: utility, feasibility, propriety, accuracy, and accountability, and provide guidance to anyone interested in planning, implementing, or using program evaluations. The book is an invaluable resource for practicing evaluators, students, evaluation users, and clients.

This updated edition of the bestseller features a five-step NCLB-based process that demonstrates how skillfully administered annual program evaluations result in lasting educational benefits.

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!

This engaging text takes an evenhanded approach to major theoretical paradigms in evaluation and builds a bridge from them to evaluation practice. Featuring helpful checklists, procedural steps, provocative questions that invite readers to explore their own theoretical assumptions, and practical exercises, the book provides concrete guidance for conducting large- and small-scale evaluations. Numerous sample studies—many with reflective commentary from the evaluators—reveal the process through which an evaluator incorporates a paradigm into an actual research project. The book shows how theory informs methodological choices (the specifics of planning, implementing, and using evaluations). It offers balanced coverage of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Useful pedagogical features include: *Examples of large- and small-scale evaluations from multiple disciplines. *Beginning-of-chapter reflection questions that set the stage for the material covered. *"Extending your thinking" questions and practical activities that help readers apply particular theoretical paradigms in their own evaluation projects. *Relevant Web links, including pathways to more details about sampling, data collection, and analysis. *Boxes offering a closer look at key evaluation concepts and additional studies. *Checklists for readers to determine if they have followed recommended practice. *A companion website with resources for further learning.