In social work practice and in program development, it is possible to make faulty assumptions about what clients need and wha

Social Work Evaluation

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Dudley_Dudley 6/6/16 9:14 AM Page ii

Social Work Evaluation Enhancing What We Do

Second Edition

JAMES R. DUDLEY University of North Carolina at Charlotte

1

Dudley_Dudley 6/6/16 9:14 AM Page iii

3 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.

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You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dudley, James R. Social work evaluation : enhancing what we do / James R. Dudley,

University of North Carolina Charlotte. — Second edition. pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-190615-43-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Social service—Evaluation. 2. Evaluation research (Social action programs) I. Title.

HV41.D83 2014 361.3072—dc23

2013015830

ISBN 978-0-190615-43-7

3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Printed in the United States of America.

Dudley_Dudley 6/6/16 9:14 AM Page iv

I dedicate this book to my students, who have inspired and encouraged me over many years. I am deeply

grateful to them!

Contents

CSWE’s Core Competencies Practice Behaviors Covered in This Book . . . . xi

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Major Additions in the Second Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Other Special Features also in the First Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi Organization of the Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi

Part I: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1 Evaluation and Social Work: Making the Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Practice Is Embedded in a Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Common Characteristics of Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The Aims of Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Defining Important Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Understanding the Larger Context of a Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Seven Steps in Conducting an Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Part II: Orientation to the Bigger Picture of Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2 The Context for an Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Relevant Events in History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Perspectives and Approaches for Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Synthesis of the Different Evaluation Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Key Perspectives for the Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Introduction of the Three-Stage Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

3 The Role of Ethics in Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Ethics for Conducting Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Diversity and Social Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

4 Common Types of Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Common Types of Program Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Common Types of Practice Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Types of Evaluations and the Three-Stage Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

5 Focusing an Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Important Initial Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Crafting Good Study Questions for an Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Guidelines for Focusing an Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 A Practical Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Part III: The Planning or Input Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

6 Needs Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 The Logic Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 The Link between Problems and Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 The Underlying Causes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Input Stage and Planning the Proposed Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Why Conduct a Needs Assessment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Some Purposes of Needs Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Methods of Conducting Needs Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Practice Areas and Needs Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Steps in Conducting a Needs Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

7 Crafting Goals and Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Goals for Program and Practice Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Characteristics of Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Limitations of Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Crafting Measurable Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Summary of Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Differences between Program and Practice Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Part IV: The Implementation Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

8 Improving How Programs and Practice Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Robert Herman-Smith and James R. Dudley Linking the Intervention to the Clients’ Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Implementing the Intervention as Proposed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Adopting and Promoting Evidence-Based Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Focus on Staff Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Accessibility of the Intervention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

viii Contents

Program Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Client Satisfaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Evaluating Practice Processes: Some Additional Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Part V: The Outcome Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

9 Is the Intervention Effective? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 The Nature of Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Varied Ways to Measure Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Criteria for Choosing Outcome Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Outcomes and Program Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Evidence-Based Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Determining a Causal Relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Group Designs for Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Outcome Evaluations for Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Part VI: Final Steps in Completing an Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

10 Analyzing Evaluation Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Jeffrey Shears and James R. Dudley Formative or Summative Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Stages of Program and Practice Development and Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . 257 Summary of Pertinent Tools for Qualitative Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Summary of Pertinent Tools for Quantitative Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Mixed Methods and Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

11 Preparing and Disseminating a Report of Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Considering the Input of Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Format of the Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Strategies for Preparing a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Strategies for Disseminating Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Part VII: Consuming Evaluation Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

12 Becoming Critical Consumers of Evaluations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Daniel Freedman and James R. Dudley Stakeholders Who Consume Evaluation Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Critical Consumption of an Evaluation Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Contents ix

The Need for Multiple Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 Helping Clients Become Critical Consumers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 Discussion Questions and Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Appendix A: The American Evaluation Association’s Guiding Principles

for Evaluators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Appendix B: Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Appendix C: Answers to Exercises and Discussion Questions for

Chapters 7 and 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

x Contents

CSWE’s Core Competencies Practice Behaviors Covered in This Book

Competency Chapter

Professional Identity Practice behavior examples

Advocate for client access to the services of social work 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure 3

continual professional development Attend to professional roles and boundaries 1, 2, 3, 7 Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, 3, 6, 7

appearance, and communication Engage in career-long learning Use supervision and consultation 1

Ethical Practice Practice behavior examples

Recognize and manage personal values in a way that 2, 3, 12 allows professional values to guide practice

Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the 1, 2, 3, 9 National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics and, as applicable, of the International Federation of Social Workers/International Association of Schools of Social Work Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles

Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts 3 Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at 1, 2, 3, 10

principled decisions

Critical Thinking Practice behavior examples

Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 12 knowledge, including research-based knowledge and practice wisdom

Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 and evaluation

Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in 5, 7, 11 working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues

Diversity in Practice Practice behavior examples

Recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and 2, 3 values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power

Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of 3, 10 personal biases and values in working with diverse groups

Recognize and communicate their understanding of the 2, 3, 6 importance of difference in shaping life experiences

View themselves as learners and engage those with 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 whom they work as informants

Human Rights and Justice Practice behavior examples

Understand the forms and mechanism of oppression 2 and discrimination

Advocate for human rights and social and 1, 2, 3 economic justice

Engage in practices that advance social and 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 economic justice

Research-Based Practice Practice behavior examples

Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry 1, 2, 5 Use research evidence to inform practice 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12

Human Behavior Practice behavior examples

Utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of 5, 7 assessment, intervention, and evaluation

Critique and apply knowledge to understand person 10, 12 and environment

Policy Practice Practice behavior examples

Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that 1, 2, 5, 11 advance social well-being

Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10 policy action

Practice Contexts Practice behavior examples

Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to 1, 2, 6, 12 changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services

Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12 service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services

xii CSWE’s Core Competencies Practice Behavior Covered in This Book

Engage, Assess, Intervene, Evaluate Practice behavior examples

A) Engagement Substantively and effectively prepare for action 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12

with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities

Use empathy and other interpersonal skills 8 Develop a mutually agreed-on focus of work and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8

desired outcomes B) Assessment Collect, organize, and interpret client data 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 Assess client strengths and limitations 2, 6, 7 Develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals 1, 2, 5, 7

and objectives Select appropriate intervention strategies 1, 2, 7, 8 C) Intervention Initiate actions to achieve organizational goals 2, 6, 8, 11 Implement prevention interventions that enhance 2, 6

client capacities Help clients resolve problems 2, 7, 8 Negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 Facilitate transitions and endings 9, 11, 12 D) Evaluation Critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate interventions 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10,

11, 12

CSWE’s Core Competencies Practice Behavior Covered in This Book xiii

Preface

Every social worker is expected to know how to conduct an evaluation of his or her practice. Growing numbers of social workers will also be assuming a program evaluator role at some point in their careers because of the increas- ing demands for program accountability. Ironically, most social workers are still inadequately prepared to design and implement such evaluations. Social Work Evaluation: Enhancing What We Do introduces social workers and other human service workers to a broad array of knowledge about eval- uations that they can conduct. The book also prepares them with the insights, knowledge, and skills needed to conduct a range of evaluations.

The book is organized around a three-stage model of evaluation. The stages divide evaluation into activities during the planning of an interven- tion, its implementation, and the measuring of its impact on recipients. In addition, the text describes seven general steps to follow in conducting eval- uations. These steps offer a flexible set of guidelines to follow in imple- menting an evaluation with all of its practicalities. Specific tools in the form of questions to ask, designs, techniques, and practical skills are described for readers to be able to take and use. Both quantitative and qualitative methods as well as mixed research methods are used in the evaluations cov- ered in this book.

This book can be used for several research and practice courses in both bachelor of social work (BSW) and master of social work (MSW) programs. It is designed for primary use in a one-semester evaluation course in MSW programs. It can also be a primary text for a two-course research sequence in BSW programs. The book can also be very useful as a secondary text in BSW and MSW practice courses at all system levels. Further, it is an excel- lent handbook for professionals of several disciplines to use in conducting evaluations.

MAJOR ADDITIONS IN THE SECOND EDITION

The new edition gives central attention to evidence-based practice. New material is highlighted throughout the book about how evaluations can gen- erate and promote evidence as a central goal. Several recommendations are also given for how the readers can promote evidence-based practice in spe- cific ways. The logic model is given much more attention as a theoretical framework and a tool of evaluators. The logic model is offered as a means of designing and understanding program and practice interventions. The

logic model is also viewed as a primary means of promoting evidence-based practice.

The seven steps in conducting an evaluation are emphasized through- out the book and provide a helpful guide for the readers to follow. An emphasis on client-centered change emphasized in the first edition is strengthened and offers new, innovative ways of bringing clients, staff mem- bers, and community groups into the evaluation process. A new chapter, “Becoming Critical Consumers of Evaluations,” is added to stress the impor- tance of the consumer role in reading and utilizing evaluation studies. The chapter walks the readers through each of the steps in consuming evalua- tion reports using a recently published evaluation report as an illustration. This chapter and others provide guidelines for how to apply the findings of an evaluation to the readers’ field settings. Chapter 8 on implementation processes is considerably expanded to include new material on implemen- tation evaluation, connections to evidence-based practice, more material on evaluating the roles of staff members in programs, and other topics. Other changes in the new edition include new graphs and formatting to make the material easier to read and visualize.

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES ALSO IN THE FIRST EDITION

Social Work Evaluation: Enhancing What We Do has several distinct fea- tures. First, both program and practice evaluation are discussed throughout the book. Evaluations at both levels have much in common. In addition, there is frequently a need to distinguish the two levels of evaluation. In these instances, separate sections are provided on both program and practice eval- uations that explain their differences and how each can be implemented.

Both qualitative and quantitative methods of evaluation are also described and highlighted throughout the book. Although quantitative eval- uations are especially pertinent to summative evaluations, qualitative meth- ods are presented as especially relevant to many types of formative evalua- tions. Criteria are offered for when to use qualitative evaluations and when to use quantitative ones, and examples of both are provided. Mixed meth- ods are also often encouraged.

The book presents evaluation material in a form that is easily under- standable and especially relevant to social work students. Research is among the most difficult content areas for social work students to comprehend. This is largely because it is difficult to see the applicability of research to social work practice. The statistical and other technical aspects of research content also tend to be alien to students and difficult to comprehend. This book is especially designed to overcome these and other types of barriers more than other social work evaluation texts do because it continually dis- cusses evaluation in the context of social work programs and practice and uses numerous pertinent examples.

xvi Preface

Another feature of the text is that it directly addresses all of the current accreditation standards of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the national accrediting organization for social workers. The CSWE promul- gates minimum curriculum standards for all BSW and MSW programs, including research and evaluation content. This book devotes an entire chapter to several issues related to evaluation with a special focus on evalu- ation’s links to three other foundational areas: ethics, diversity, and social and economic justice. Because of the importance of these three founda- tional areas, they are highlighted in numerous examples and exercises throughout the book. In addition, practice, a central foundational area of the social work curriculum, is often highlighted as it relates to evaluation. Evaluation is described throughout the book as a vital and necessary com- ponent of practice at both the MSW and the BSW levels.

Although a social work perspective is emphasized that helps in under- standing the connections of evaluation with practice, ethics, diversity issues, and social justice, other human service professionals will also find these top- ics pertinent. Professionals in psychology, family and individual therapy, child welfare, health, mental health, criminal justice, school counseling, spe- cial education, substance abuse, and others will find this text to be a very useful handbook.

Another distinguishing aspect of this book is the extensive use of case examples. Specific evaluation studies from professional journals, websites, and books are frequently highlighted to illustrate concepts, findings, data analyses, and other issues. It has been the author’s experience that students’ learning is enhanced when they can immediately see the application of abstract concepts to human service situations. Exemplary evaluation activi- ties of social work students and practitioners are also generously included. These illustrations reflect what students will often find in the field agencies and social agencies that will hire them. The book also contains a glossary of terms, discussion questions at the end of each chapter, and other visual aids.

In addition, the book is user-friendly for faculty who teach evaluation courses. Sometimes social work educators who do not have the time to con- duct their own evaluations teach research courses. Such faculty may often feel less than qualified to teach an evaluation course. This text is under- standable to both inexperienced and experienced faculty. Also, discussion questions included at the end of each chapter can serve as a focus for class discussions, quizzes, and tests. In addition, a teacher’s guide is available from Lyceum Books that elaborates on how the content of the book can be used and suggests helpful ways to involve students in understanding and using it. Multiple-choice exam questions are also available from Lyceum Books for each chapter.

Moreover, the evaluation process is described, when possible, as a collaborative effort that encourages the participation of the clients and other stakeholders in some of the steps. A periodic focus on the principles

Preface xvii

of participant action research is highlighted in some sections to emphasize how evaluation can be used to promote client involvement, empowerment, and social change. Also, special emphasis in the new edition is placed on client involvement in consuming evaluation findings and becoming more active gatekeepers.

Finally, knowledge and technology skills are infused throughout the text. Social work practitioners must know how to use various electronic tools like e-mail, electronic discussion lists, the World Wide Web, and data analysis programs like SPSS. The text includes electronic exercises and other assignments that involve the students in using such tools. Emphasis is given to electronic skills that help students obtain access to the latest information on client populations, practice and program interventions, information from professional organizations, relevant articles, and helpful discussion lists.

ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK

The book is organized into seven parts. Part I, the first chapter, provides an introduction to evaluation and how it is described and defined in the book. The chapter begins with a persuasive rationale for why social workers should be proficient in evaluation. Definitions

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