I'm always interested in what evaluators are reading, so thought I would share below some of the books and blogs I’ve been reading lately. I would love to know what you are reading and how is it improving your evaluation and consulting practices. Please leave me a post!
Books
I’m constantly referring to this book for ideas – definitely a classic: Campbell, D. & Stanly, J. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. New York, NY: Wadsworth Publishing.
Okay – not a straight read – but another go-to book: Scriven, M. (1991). Evaluation thesaurus (4th Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Very useful for helping me understand the history of evaluation: Alkin, M. (2004). Evaluation roots: Tracing theorists' views and influences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Okay – not a straight read – but another go-to book: Scriven, M. (1991). Evaluation thesaurus (4th Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Very useful for helping me understand the history of evaluation: Alkin, M. (2004). Evaluation roots: Tracing theorists' views and influences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Because almost all evaluators are consultants as well: Block, P. (2011). Flawless consulting: A guide to getting your expertise used (3rd Edition). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Blogs
Stephen Few on data visualization (perceptualedge.com ) and Nancy Duarte on presenting blog.duarte.com/), because both are central to my evaluation work.
For Pleasure
A beautiful and haunting “evaluation” of the Mann Gulch Fire. This is probably the 5th time I’ve read it: Maclean, N. (1993). Young men and fire. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press
What I Hope to Read Next
Michael Quinn Patton - Essentials of Utilization-Focused Evaluation. Just arrived!
Posts
2 comments:
Hi Amy
I am really liking (but have not yet finished) "Walk Out Walk On" by Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze. It was recommended by a client as it has shifted how she things of working within community. The examples cited are interesting and really provoke some thought about what I do with/within/for/because of the notion of community and change. When the community "walks out" of the beliefs of community that are placed on them and "walks on" to create what they truly need, that is when issues are solved. Very good to read as a consultant.
Heidi
Gegax Evaluation and Consulting
Minneapolis
Hey Amy! I read Charles Seife's Proofiness and it forever changed my evaluation practice. It gave me insight as to why clients trust findings that have numbers (even when those numbers are meaningless), and led me to a new understanding of the rigor in evaluation debate (trust in the quantitative is hardwired). If you read, I'd love to discuss:) - Johanna
Post a Comment