Category Archives: Synthesis of findings

Appropriate simplicity? Discussion tonight San Francisco

Multiple deadlines and travel have been getting in the way of either Jane or me posting on the many evaluation issues in the news at the moment. But I hope to see some Genuine Evaluation readers at tonight’s panel discussion … Continue reading

Posted in Evaluation Theory, Evaluative questions & answers, Professional development, Synthesis of findings | Tagged | Leave a comment

Friday Funny – community engagement and evidence-based policy

Policy that is developed in response to clearly identified needs and through careful processes of community engagement – while being feasible in an adversarial political system and short timeframes?  Time for the Hollowmen to show us how it can be … Continue reading

Posted in Adequate scope, Appropriate criteria and standards, Appropriate reporting, Civil society engagement, Community programs, Friday Funnies, Government programs, Professional development, Synthesis of findings, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Some thoughts from Day 1 of the AEA conference

A couple of highlights from the opening sessions of the American Evaluation Association’s annual conference (being held this year in sunny San Antonio, Texas): Opening plenary Three views on evaluation quality, the theme of this year’s conference, from Eleanor Chelimsky, … Continue reading

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Punished for productivity – poor use of an average in performance evaluation

Developing good performance indicators is not easy.  The history of their use is littered with examples of how they can produce a distorted picture of performance and provide dysfunctional incentives.  Burt Perrin’s report to the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation … Continue reading

Posted in Appropriate inference, Appropriate measurement, Appropriate reporting, Education, Evaluative rubrics, Government programs, Synthesis of findings | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Finding “the best” way

Yet another study announced which aims to find “the” best way – this time the best way to treat anorexia nervosa.  As reported in The Age: Australian researchers will conduct a world-first study to find the optimal treatment for the … Continue reading

Posted in Appropriate inference, Appropriate reporting, Causal inference, Meta-evaluation, Synthesis of findings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment