PA 775

PROGRAM EVALUATION

Government agencies and private organizations all around us have implemented programs designed to alleviate specific social problems or provide otherwise unmet needs. They’re found in every arena of public policy: education, health, welfare, environment, defense, housing, economy, agriculture, business, science and technology, transportation, etc. Some have names that have become well known (e.g., Head Start), while others are more obscure (e.g., Toxic Release Inventory). Others still are formally nameless, yet very influential (e.g., SFUSD’s diversity index). Usually, much thought, labor, and resources are spent developing and implementing a program. But how do we know if it works? If it does work, how well? If it doesn’t, why not? Can it be fixed? The answers to these questions are at the heart of program evaluation. This is the practice of applying research methods to the specific task of judging the outcomes of programs.

This course is designed to introduce you to program evaluation and provide you opportunities to practice key skills in it. Indeed, this is a skills-based class. Its focus is on marketable skills that will help you in your professional life. Even so, as you and your classmates apply these skills to real situations, you will gain broad knowledge of many programs in our societies.