This text provides a road map for evaluators doing business within or for government, public managers who are expected to assess and use evidence generated by a large variety of evaluation approaches, and students taking evaluation courses in public management.

Chapter 1 The Evidence-Building Mandate
Chapter 2 Assessing the Quality of Evidence
Chapter 3. Employing Evaluative Thinking
Chapter 4. Developing Learning Agendas for Public Organizations
Chapter 5. Building Capacity to Generate and Supply Evidence
Chapter 6. Building Capacity to Use Evidence
Chapter 7 Sustaining Momentum for Evidence-Building Capacity in Government

Kathryn Newcomer is a professor in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University where she teaches graduate level courses on public and nonprofit program evaluation, and research design. She served as the Trachtenberg School director for over 12 years, until July 2019. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and currently serves on the Comptroller General's Educators' Advisory Panel. She served as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) (2013-2015 and 2016-2018), and as AEA president for 2017. She served as President of the Network of the Association of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) for 2006-2007.

Dr. Newcomer has published seven books, including U.S. Inspectors General: Truth Tellers in Turbulent Times (2020 by Brookings), The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation (4th edition 2015), and many articles in journals including the Public Administration Review and the American Journal of Evaluation.

Dr. Newcomer earned a B.S. in secondary education and an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Kansas, and her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Iowa.