Serious issues in empowerment evaluation are articulated to help ensure that this enthusiastically presented concept will not mislead evaluators and result in lowering the field's professional standards. Analysis and recommendations are provided for the adoption, development, and implementation of an objectivist evaluation that conforms to…

Key issues in evaluating the effectiveness of research organizations are examined, and the following approaches for evaluation are explored: (1) the goal-attainment approach, (2) the strategic constituency approach, (3) a systems approach, and (4) a competing values framework. (SLD)

The construct "multicultural validity" is proposed as the vehicle for organizing concerns about pluralism and diversity in evaluation and as a way to reflect on the cultural boundness of evaluation. It should be conceptualized as a central dimension of validity and a viable focus of concern in evaluation theory. (SLD)

How policy is developed and how evaluators can participate in the process are discussed, focusing on federal evaluators. The strongest weapon of an evaluator is a short, easy-to-read report with a simple, compelling message. Federal policy evaluators must learn to be content with slow gains. (SLD)

Comparison of self- and others' ratings of 335 managers' job performance found moderately low agreement between the two. Managers consistently reported practicing specific skills more frequently than raters' feedback showed, across 20 management practices areas. (SK)

A previous paper proposed a generalized family of coefficients of relational agreement for multiple judges. It focused on the concept of empirically meaningful relationships. This paper presents an ordinal coefficient of relational agreement as a special case of the generalized family. The proposed ordinal coefficient encompasses other ordinal…

The author recounts how certain things have remained constant even though his work focus had changed from a concentration on human services and substance abuse to evaluating the impact of computer networks. Balancing the requirements of good methodology with the needs of decision makers remains central. (SLD)

The use of focus groups by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a tool of internal evaluation is described. Focus groups are used in an environment where credibility is key to achieving meaningful cooperation. Issues for consideration by other evaluators interested in the approach are summarized. (SLD)

The various arts and sciences that comprise the field of program evaluation are discussed. It is argued that emphasis on rigor and expressive content has left other aspects of evaluation unexplored. Educational evaluators need to consider what programs mean and how they contribute to understanding. (SLD)

Reports on a study of the peer review process in faculty publishing, in which 1,214 review comments by 216 reviewers were analyzed to determine the nature of the reviews and the reviewers. Categorizes reviews in terms of tone, direction, and focus. Delineates 4 reviewer profiles: critic, conciliator, competitor, and procrastinator. (DMM)

Addresses issues pertaining to the transmittal of common ethical values related to the practice of evaluation. The issues include the need for development and adoption of a common core of knowledge of ethics in evaluation, the need to provide this knowledge to all evaluation participants, and the need for multiple methods of instruction and…

Uses the evaluation of a family literacy program as the basis for an analysis of the benefits of collaborative evaluation. Identifies enhanced learning, efficient data collection and problem planning, deepened professional and personal relationships, and strengthened convictions as results of the collaboration. (SLD)

Chelimsky, former head of the Program Evaluation and Methodology Division of the General Accounting Office, suggested that advocacy by evaluators destroys their credibility. Evaluators should, this author argues, be advocates for democracy and the public interest, with the question being how explicitly and how defensibly. (SLD)

Illustrates the use of latent growth modeling (LGM) as an analytical tool in program evaluation using the hypothetical example of a high school drug prevention program. Demonstrates the use of LGM in assessing longitudinal impact and in incorporating predictors of status and growth into a model. Highlights advantages and limitations of LGM. (SLD)

The five chapters of this special issue provide insights into how Scandinavians understand evaluation practice. Although there is no "Scandinavian" perspective on evaluation, theory and practice in the Scandinavian countries unfold against sociocultural and intellectual influences that differ from those of the United States. (SLD)