Program Planning and Evaluation for the Public Manager

Program evaluation in the public sector has evolved from the status of applied research methodology to become an indispensable component of program operations. The fields of health care, social services, education, and law enforcement now have established their own standards against which program operations are assessed. National accrediting bodies have established systems of rigorous peer review to ensure the quality of program processes and outcomes. The authors address all facets of this standards-based program accreditation in the new Third Edition. This volume clearly details methods of monitoring and reviewing internal processes, as well as systematically conceptualizing outcome evaluations. Planning techniques are facilitated and enhanced by computer-generated project calendars, PERT/CPM applications, and queuing theory/flowcharts. The authors provide concepts and techniques of systems theory, process intervention, research design, and cost-benefit analysis, illustrated with easy-to-understand examples. Hypothetical planning case studies and outcome evaluation exercises provide valuable learning experience to students as they apply the various principles of planning and evaluation discussed throughout the text.