Program Evaluation in Practice Core Concepts and Examples for Discussion and Analysis

This updated edition of Program Evaluation in Practice covers the core concepts of program evaluation and uses case studies to touch on real-world issues that arise when conducting an evaluation project. This important resource is filled with illustrative examples written in accessible terms and provides a wide variety of evaluation projects that can be used for discussion, analysis, and reflection. The book addresses foundations and theories of evaluation, tools and methods for collecting data, writing of reports, and the sharing of findings. The discussion questions and class activities at the end of each chapter are designed to help process the information in that chapter and to integrate the information from the other chapters, thus facilitating the learning process. As useful for students as it is for evaluators in training, Program Evaluation in Practice is a must-have text for those aspiring to be effective evaluators.

• Includes expanded discussion of basic theories and approaches to program evaluation
• Features a new chapter on objective-based evaluation and a new section on ethics in program evaluation
• Provides more detailed information and in-depth description for each case, including evaluation approaches, fresh references, new readings, and the new Joint Committee Standards for Evaluation

Dean T. Spaulding is a professional evaluator and also serves on the faculty at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York in the Department of Educational Psychology, where he teaches educational research methodology and program evaluation. He is a coauthor of Methods in Educational Research: From Theory to Practice from Jossey-Bass.

List of Tables, Figures, Exhibits, and Boxes xiii

Preface xvii

Acknowledgments xxi

The Author xxiii

PART ONE: Introduction 1

CHAPTER ONE: FOUNDATIONS OF PROGRAM EVALUATION 3

What is Program Evaluation? 5

Internal and External Evaluators 11

How to Use This Book 13

The Evaluation Objective 15

Designing and Developing an Evaluation Matrix 19

Data Collection 20

Triangulation of Data 31

Writing the Evaluation Report 31

Dissemination and Use of Evaluation Findings 35

Summary 37

Key Concepts 38

Discussion Questions 38

Class Activities 39

Suggested Reading 39

CHAPTER TWO: ETHICS IN PROGRAM EVALUATION AND AN OVERVIEW OF EVALUATION APPROACHES 41

Ethics in Program Evaluation 41

What is an Evaluation Approach? 43

Objectives-Based Approach 44

Decision-Based Approach 47

Participatory Approach 50

Consumer-Oriented Approach 55

Expertise-Oriented Approach 55

Eclectic Approach 56

Summary 56

Key Concepts 57

Discussion Questions 57

Class Activities 58

Suggested Reading 58

CHAPTER THREE: IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE OBJECTIVES-BASED APPROACH TO EVALUATION 59

Objectives-Based Approach 59

How to Use Evaluation Objectives 64

Summary 66

Key Concepts 67

Discussion Questions 67

Class Activities 67

Suggested Reading 67

PART TWO: CASE STUDIES 69

CHAPTER FOUR: IMPROVING STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS THROUGH INQUIRY-BASED INSTRUCTION 71

The Evaluator 71

The Program 76

The Evaluation Plan 78

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 81

Final Thoughts 86

Key Concepts 86

Discussion Questions 87

Class Activities 87

Suggested Reading 88

CHAPTER FIVE: EVALUATION OF A COMMUNITY-BASED MENTOR PROGRAM 89

The Evaluator 89

The Program 91

The Evaluation Plan 92

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 97

Final Thoughts 97

Key Concepts 97

Discussion Questions 98

Class Activities 98

Suggested Reading 99

CHAPTER SIX: TEACHER CANDIDATES INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO THEIR STUDENT TEACHING EXPERIENCE 101

The Evaluators 101

The Program 102

The Evaluation Plan 102

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 108

Final Thoughts 108

Key Concepts 108

Discussion Questions 108

Class Activities 109

Suggested Reading 110

CHAPTER SEVEN: EVALUATION OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY PROJECT IN A LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOL DISTRICT 111

The Evaluator 111

The Program 112

The Evaluation Plan 113

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 116

Final Thoughts 117

Key Concepts 117

Discussion Questions 117

Class Activities 118

Suggested Reading 119

CHAPTER EIGHT: EXPANSION OF A HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE PROGRAM 121

The Evaluators 121

The Program 122

The Evaluation Plan 122

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 124

Final Thoughts 126

Key Concepts 126

Discussion Questions 126

Class Activities 127

Suggested Reading 127

CHAPTER NINE: EVALUATION OF A PROVEN PRACTICE FOR READING ACHIEVEMENT 129

The Evaluators 129

The Program 130

The Evaluation Plan 131

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 131

Final Thoughts 133

Key Concepts 133

Discussion Questions 133

Class Activities 134

Suggested Reading 135

CHAPTER TEN: PROJECT PLAN FOR EVALUATION OF A STATEWIDE AFTER-SCHOOL INITIATIVE 137

The Evaluator 137

The Program 138

The Evaluation Plan 140

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 143

Final Thoughts 144

Key Concepts 144

Discussion Questions 145

Class Activities 145

Suggested Reading 145

CHAPTER ELEVEN: EVALUATION OF A TRAINING PROGRAM IN MATHEMATICS FOR TEACHERS 147

The Evaluators 147

The Program 148

The Evaluation Plan 149

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 151

Final Thoughts 154

Key Concepts 155

Discussion Questions 155

Class Activities 156

Suggested Reading 156

CHAPTER TWELVE: AN EVALUATOR-INTRAINING’S WORK ON A SCHOOL ADVOCACY PROGRAM 159

The Evaluator 159

The Program 160

The Evaluation Plan 162

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 162

Final Thoughts 168

Key Concepts 168

Discussion Questions 168

Class Activities 169

Suggested Reading 170

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: EVALUATION OF A SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GRANT TO INCREASE PARENT INVOLVEMENT 171

The Evaluators 171

The Program 171

The Evaluation Plan 172

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 176

Final Thoughts 177

Key Concepts 178

Discussion Questions 178

Class Activities 178

Suggested Reading 179

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF A NEW TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM 181

The Evaluators 181

The Program 182

The Evaluation Plan 182

Summary of Evaluation Activities and Findings 185

Final Thoughts 185

Key Concepts 186

Discussion Questions 186

Class Activities 186

Suggested Reading 186

References 187

Index 189

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