| Session Title: Evaluation Policy and Evaluation Practice |
| Plenary Session 201 to be held in Centennial Section D on Thursday, Nov 6, 8:00 AM to 8:45 AM |
| Sponsored by the Presidential Strand |
| Chair(s): |
| Hallie Preskill, Claremont Graduate University, hpreskill@ca.rr.com |
| Presenter(s): |
| William Trochim, Cornell University, wmt1@cornell.edu |
| Abstract: This presentation will review the state of contemporary evaluation policies (with particular emphasis on U.S. federal policies), describe a practical model for development and revision of evaluation policies, present a generic framework for a comprehensive set of evaluation policies, summarize recent efforts to influence evaluation policy formation, and consider how evaluation practice might best drive evaluation policy development, and raise critical questions about the challenges and experiences in this area. An evaluation policy is any rule or principle that a group or organization uses to guide its decisions and actions when doing evaluation. Every group and organization that engages in evaluation – including government agencies, private businesses, and nonprofit organizations – has evaluation policies. Sometimes these are formal, explicit and written; more often they are implicit and ad hoc principles or norms that have simply evolved over time. In the absence of formally stated evaluation policies, organizations often make policies up as they go along—typically without consulting what others have done or informing themselves about evaluation best practices. Evaluation policies profoundly affect the day-to-day work of all evaluators. Many recent and current controversies or conflicts in the field of evaluation can be viewed, at least in part, as struggles around evaluation policy. Because evaluation policies typically apply across multiple evaluations, influencing policies directly may have systemic and far-reaching effects for practice. Evaluation practice should play a critical role in informing and shaping the development of evaluation policies. |