This article describes three challenges encountered during a developmental evaluation and explains how these were addressed from the evaluators' perspective. The evaluation was conducted to support the implementation of a three-year educational technology leadership project funded by the Alberta provincial government. The developmental evaluation…

This article presents a creative and practical process for dealing with the problem of selection bias. Taking an algorithmic approach and capitalizing on the known treatment-associated variance in the X matrix, we propose a data transformation that allows estimating unbiased treatment effects. The approach does not call for modelling the data,…

Evaluators know they are supposed to identify and engage with stakeholders. What happens when the client has a very narrow concept of the meaning of evaluation? What happens when the primary stakeholders, including the client, disappear just as the evaluation gets started? First, it is important to acknowledge the challenge, then develop a…

The clash between Western and Indigenous ways of knowing has been epitomized by the "parachuting model" of the Western researcher who drops onto the reservation, collects data, and leaves, never to be heard from again. The strengths of indigenous science, for example, observation and contextual factors, are either ignored or…

Describes the tasks undertaken in the cycle of evaluation of housing programs by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation prior to 1997 and analyzes the major evaluation projects in terms of the similarity of constituent tasks. Introduces combinatorial methods and new research applications. (SLD)

Discusses this era of transition in program evaluation, which is marked by growing cooperation between government and civil society, and suggests participatory program evaluation as an approach to lessen undue influence by any one partner and promote a positive culture of evaluation. (SLD)

Describes the conceptual frameworks and methods used to evaluate a multisite, regional capacity-development project in Latin America and the Caribbean. Discusses the challenges facing capacity development and its evaluation and illustrates some of the procedures used. (SLD)

Suggests that performance measurement can address attribution questions in studying accountability for results and outcomes in studies of public administration. Describes the steps necessary to produce a credible "contribution story" so that managers, researchers, and policy makers can arrive at conclusions about the contribution a…

Uses the psychological lens of motivation to make the case that mandated evaluation requirements can serve as the impetus for accountability to become synonymous with organizational improvement. Illustrates the discussion with examples from the Manitoba (Canada) School Improvement Program. (SLD)

Proposes an alternative program logic model based on the concepts of learning organizations and systems theory. By redefining time as an evolutionary process, the model provides a space for stakeholders to record changes in program context, interim assessments, and program modifications. (SLD)

How can indigenous evaluators implement culturally competent models in First Nations communities while ensuring that government grant evaluation requirements are met? Through describing the challenges in one tribal community in the United States, this article will discuss how American Indian/Alaska Native substance abuse prevention programs are…

Describes the program developed at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, to promote the academic and workplace success and social and emotional adjustment of students with learning disabilities. Presents details of the evaluation planned for this program, emphasizing the importance of flexibility. (SLD)

Suggests research designs and methodologies that are useful in program evaluation when information is hard to measure, or sensitive in nature, or difficult for the respondent to articulate. Illustrates the application of these methods, which include intersubjective certifiability and triangulated respondent groups among other approaches, through…

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), comprising 34 American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities, has undertaken a comprehensive effort to develop an "Indigenous Framework for Evaluation" that synthesizes Indigenous ways of knowing and Western evaluation practice. To ground the framework, AIHEC engaged…

Introduces the special section on the Student Paper Contest and the Case Competition sponsored by the Canadian Evaluation Society to foster the development of evaluators. The articles are written by former participants and include reflections on the value of the competition for evaluator development. (SLD)