Public Program Evaluation

by Laura Irwin Langbein

This readable and comprehensive text is designed to equip students and practitioners with the statistical skills needed to meet government standards regarding public program evaluation. Even those with little statistical training will find the explanations clear, with many illustrative examples, case studies, and applications. Far more than a cookbook of statistical techniques, the book begins with chapters on the overall context for successful program evaluations, and carefully explains statistical methods--and threats to internal and statistical validity--that correspond to each evaluation design. Laura Langbein then presents a variety of methods for program analysis, and advise readers on how to select the mix of methods most appropriate for the issues they deal with-- always balancing methodology with the need for generality, the size of the evaluator's budget, the availability of data, and the need for quick results.

264 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really clear guide to program evaluation. Although we used this in class (the author was my professor), I think someone could pick this up to self-teach. It follows a very methodical, logical order, with the structure of the book following an outline, diving deeper and deeper into concepts. That means that some chapters are very long and you might find yourself deep into a concept of a particular research design, but it also means you can find the exact concept you want to learn about. She references a lot of real-life evaluations for each research design and has a useful index.