PRACTICAL PROGRAM EVALUATION: ASSESSING AND IMPROVING PLANNING, I MPLEMENTATION, AND EFFECTIVENESS

Practical Program Evaluation presents a useful and usable model for deciding which kind of evaluation activities to undertake in different circumstances. Chen identifies different kinds of evaluation activities that are appropriate for different stages of a program. He also shows how information needs, inside and outside the program, as well as a set of possible trade-offs, should affect the choice of evaluation activities. Chen provides a new and important framework for thinking about these fundamental issues. That is no small accomplishment. Like Chen''s previous book on theory-driven evaluation, this book should have a major impact on evaluation theory and practice.??????Melvin Mark, Pennsylvania State University Practical Program Evaluation: Assessing and Improving Planning, Implementation, and Effectiveness introduces students to the real world of evaluation, focusing on issues that arise in professional practice. Author Huey T. Chen concentrates on the steps vital to program evaluation: systematically identifying stakeholder needs, selecting evaluation options best suited to particular needs and reconciling any necessary tradeoffs, and turning the decisions into action. Using illustrative examples from the field, the book details the methods and procedures involved in analyzing and identifying stakeholder expectations and selecting an evaluation strategy. The principles and strategies presented are reinforced with theoretical justification. This provides students and professional evaluators the knowledge and flexibility to design suitable evaluations and follow them through from start to finish.