Collaborative Evaluation systematically invites and engages stakeholders in program evaluation planning and implementation. Unlike "distanced" evaluation approaches, which reject stakeholder participation as evaluation team members, Collaborative Evaluation assumes that active, on-going engagement between evaluators and program staff,…

In this commentary, we examine Braverman's insights into the trade-offs between feasibility and rigor in evaluation measures and reject his assessment of the trade-off as a zero-sum game. We, argue that feasibility and policy salience are, like reliability and validity, intrinsic to the definition of a good measure. To reduce the tension between…

Assessment in aesthetic fields presents a myriad of challenges in the higher education environment. This paper uses a metaphorical representation to explore the role of assessors within aesthetic assessment settings in higher education. It begins with a discussion of aesthetic fields and an exploration of the role of assessment in this area.…

The author enjoyed reading Katharine Hay's ambitious and humbling visions for evaluation field building in South Asia. She has successfully positioned herself on a high mountain with a wonderful set of binoculars that enable her to see the entire evaluation landscape of South Asia. She magically sees and describes significant historical forces and…

The papers in this dialogue help develop evaluation as a field (both in South Asia and other regions). What comes through in all of the papers is both humility of where evaluation is as a field and imagination and ambition of where evaluators could be in the near future. Reading the papers in this forum makes them enthusiastic about being…

Grantees on national projects are often required by their funders to take part in evaluation activities. While the requirement can encourage compliance, grantees can feel overburdened and disempowered with their evaluation experience. Evaluators in a national cross-site evaluation utilized multiple strategies for obtaining buy-in of participating…

The role of an evaluator resembles that of the industrial negotiations facilitator/fact finder: both attempt to please a diverse group and resolve value conflicts. Knowledge of the negotiation literature can help evaluators to remove conflict of interest pressures, and determine the most beneficial values of a project. (CP)

Studies were conducted by the American Institute for Research (AIR) under contract with the Department of Education (ED). An evaluability assessment determines the extent to which a program is ready for evaluation, the changes needed to make the program more manageable and accountable, and toward what questions a more extensive evaluation might…

This paper reviews what has been learned about evaluation ultilization during the past 20 years. Evaluation utilization is discussed in terms of what is used, who uses evaluation, when evaluation is used, how evaluation is used, where evaluation is used, and why evaluation is used. It is suggested that the personal factor - the interests and…

The historical development of current controversy over the use of quantitative or qualitative approaches in evaluation is traced. (Author/PN)

Brief case studies of three projects are presented to illustrate the steps which open "Wonderful Programs" to evaluation research. The evaluator is provided with the perspective needed to believe the evaluation is worth doing. The project staff is then redirected to the need for a new type of evidence. An ongoing review of the commitment…

The Center for the Study of Evaluation (CSE) developed a formative evaluation system for the National Diffusion Network (NDN). A national, federally funded organization, NDN disseminates innovative ideas to schools nationwide. A formative evaluation was designed as an ongoing low-cost series of activities to be carried out by NDN managers,…

Scriven advocates a philosophical shift from the pseudoscientific doctrine of the traditional social sciences. He substitutes a key evaluation checklist--encompassing needs assessment, comparative value, and assessment of overall value; and suggests that evaluators use this checklist. Theoretically, the grounding of evaluation in judging and…

The 50-item Utilization Enhancement Checklist involves: determining evaluator role; understanding organizational context; planning; conducting the evaluation; and communicating evaluative information. The checklist is presented as a summary of the preceding nine articles. (Available from: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 433 California St., San Francisco, CA…

Issues related to the rationale for standard setting, the standard setting board and its support structure, the content of standards and rules for generating them, and issues that deal with how standards are put to use are areas discussed in the content of a standard-setting effort in accounting. (Author/PN)