This accessible introductory text on program evaluation has a sound theoretical base, many practical examples, and case studies. The book is divided into four parts.

Part 1 provides an overview of the field of evaluation today, explains how evaluators think, how evaluation fits into the world of science, and how program logic, including theories of change and logic models, provides the links between cause and effect.

Part 2 looks at the program life cycle and explains the uses of evaluation in early program development, during program implementation, and at the end of a program's timeframe, when outcomes and impacts are so essential for program decision making.

Part 3 offers a quick summary of evaluation methods, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed. A chapter is devoted to each of these. Terms and processes are clearly explained, and evaluation examples are provided.

Part 4 explores the important topic of evaluation communication. It provides an example of the components of an evaluation plan and offers many practical examples of communication processes both during and after an evaluation. The final chapter considers the complex context in which evaluation occurs today and suggests ways to think about how evaluation interacts with global, environmental, and identity concerns.

Each chapter has useful features that enhance learning: