The Robert Bowne Foundation (RBF), which published "Afterschool Matters" from 2003 to 2008 and continues to fund the journal and related projects, is closing in December. "Afterschool Matters" sat down with Lena Townsend, executive director, to talk about RBF's legacy and continuing influence on literacy work in afterschool…

The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia. They enjoy a huge following of well-wishers and supporters who are optimistic that the standards will boost achievement in U.S. schools. Setting aside the cheerleading and fond hopes, what are the real chances of success? The most reasonable prediction is…

Those people involved in the professional development school (PDS) effort have arrived at a time in their brief history when PDS partnerships can break the status quo and become contemporary laboratories of innovation for ushering in change and a new era of PK-12 education integrated with teacher education. In this chapter, the author appreciates…

Eleanor Chelimsky is an independent consultant for evaluation policy and practice and currently serves on the American Evaluation Association's (AEA) Evaluation Policy Task Force. This article talks about the professional development of Eleanor Chelimsky. This article presents an edited transcript of an interview wherein Eleanor highlights why she…

Over the past 7 years, the Oral History Project Team has conducted interviews with individuals who have made signal contributions to evaluation theory and practice, tracing their professional development and contextualizing their work within the social and political climates of the time. By capturing the professional evolution of those who have…

This paper presents the author's comment on "Evaluation Field Building in South Asia: Reflections, Anecdotes, and Questions" by Katherine Hay. Hay raises a number of extremely relevant issues relating to evaluation field building in South Asia. In this paper, the author aims to underscore the importance of three priorities for initiating…

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…

Reynolds and Wheldall reviewed research relating to Reading Recovery (RR) and concluded that "RR has provided an excellent model in demonstrating how to plan, promote, and implement an intervention across an educational system and how to design a professional development programme" (2007, p. 218). They balanced this praise with concerns about the…

Over the past 6 years, the Oral History Project Team has conducted interviews with individuals who have influenced the theory and practice of evaluation. In 2006, Robin Miller, with the help of Christian Coryn of The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University (WMU), and Daniela Schroeter, also at the Center, sat down with widely regarded…

Considers evaluation in the context of conducting large professional development meetings. Its purposes are (1) to share an evaluation rationale along with a set of implementing techniques and (2) to review the value of regional (multistate) conferences. (JOW)

Independent reviewer evaluations of the Ministry of Education (MoE) funded Principal Professional Learning Community (PPLC) programme for experienced principals in New Zealand (NZ) suggest a highly valued and strongly supportive programme. My own critique of the programme, against criteria for "strong" professional learning communities…

PPG's training department enhanced its value to the organization by getting closer to its internal customer and helping them build the competencies needed to meet business goals. Techniques included the training, development, and education process model and a professional development sourcebook clarifying competencies and activities for acquiring…

Current trends towards greater collaboration between schools to support training and staff development at a local level together with the linking of the needs of trainees, the wider workforce and experienced staff to this agenda has created a need for "neighbourhood" support. This support can be effectively developed by Training Schools,…

Advises first-time conference attendees to be adventuresome about meeting new people, consider shared transportation and accommodations to save money, take along appropriate clothes, choose sessions offering new skills and information, get invitations to parties, provide positive feedback about programs, and plan postconference activities with…

Presents a reaction to major contribution articles from this issue of "The Counseling Psychologist" (2000, [this issue]). Highlights important concepts that call for the field of counseling psychology to go "back to basics," including identity issues; the scope of prevention; prevention evaluation research; preventive…