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AbstractThis article aims to bring context from the background into the foreground of our work. Especially in more quantitative, outcome‐focused efforts, context continues to play a character role. Though we recognize that context affects what we do and that it affects the programs and policies we study, the attention often is more implicit than explicit, and more as an afterthought when the work does not go as planned or findings are difficult to interpret. In this article, the goal is to give context more of a leading role by offering a framework for thinking about context and how we can enhance our practice by including an explicit focus on context in our evaluation inquiry. The article describes a strategy for contextsensitive practice that balances attention to context, stakeholder needs, and rigor. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.

AbstractThe Systematic Screening and Assessment (SSA) Method is a novel application of evaluability assessment (EA), entwined with the work of an expert panel that nominates programs worthy of EA and then, on the basis of the findings from the EAs, recommends programs for evaluation. The author compares and contrasts the SSA Method with the usual practice of EA and discusses how the method has contributed to the revival of EA in recent years. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.

AbstractThe reasoning process should be salient to the evaluator throughout the course of an evaluation.

AbstractInvestigative methods can play a role in the development of programs and policies as well as in their evaluation.

AbstractRecent developments in the field of children's mental health, particularly the development of community‐based systems of care, are being used to improve the availability and effectiveness of services for children. This chapter highlights unique problems and challenges to evaluators studying these systems of care.

AbstractTwo major components of the evaluation of The Robert Wood Johnson Homeless Families Program are reviewed.

Introduction : why a handbook of applied social research / Leonard Bickman and Debra J. Rog -- Applied research design / Leonard Bickman and Debra J. Rog -- Design sensitivity : statistical power for applied experimental research / Mark W. Lipsey and Sean M. Hurley -- Practical sampling / Gary T. Henry -- Planning ethically responsible research / Joan E. Sieber -- Randomized controlled trials for evaluation and planning / Robert F. Boruch ... [et al.] -- Quasi-experimentation / Melvin M. Mark and Charles S. Reichardt -- Designing a qualitative study / Joseph A. Maxwell -- How to do better case studies (with illustrations from 20 exemplary case studies) / Robert K. Yin -- Integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches to research / Abbas Tashakkori and Charles Teddlie -- Organizational diagnosis / Michael Harrison -- Research synthesis and meta-analysis / Harris M. Cooper, Erika A. Patall, and James J. Lindsay -- Design and evaluation of survey questions / Floyd J. Fowler and Carol Cosenza -- Internet survey methods / Samuel J. Best and Chase H. Harrison -- Concept mapping for applied social research / Mary Kane and William Trochim -- Mail surveys / Thomas W. Mangione and Janet H. Van Ness -- Methods for sampling and interviewing in telephone surveys / Paul J. Lavrakas -- Ethnography / David M. Fetterman -- Group depth interviews : focus group research / David W. Stewart, Prem N. Shamdasani, and Dennis W. Rook

AbstractThis final chapter summarizes the areas of consensus in the debate on method choice, including considering the nature of the primary evaluation questions, the nature of the phenomenon being evaluated, the constraints on the evaluation, and ethical issues. Pragmatic suggestions based on these areas as well as areas still in contention are offered.