Appropriate simplicity? Discussion tonight San Francisco

Kyoto steps

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 in San Francisco, co-hosted by the San Francisco Bay Area Evaluators and The Evaluators

Read the whole post –> Appropriate simplicity? Discussion tonight San Francisco

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 done.

Read the whole post –> Friday Funny – community engagement and evidence-based policy

AEA highlights Day 1

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, Laura Leviton and Michael Patton.

Eleanor argued for appreciation of three different types of

Read the whole post –> Some thoughts from Day 1 of the AEA conference

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

Jessica Miglio/NBC

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 and Development) Implementing the vision – addressing challenges to results-focused management

Read the whole post –> Punished for productivity – poor use of an average in performance evaluation

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 debilitating, and often deadly, disorder anorexia nervosa. Around one in five people, usually women,

Read the whole post –> Finding “the best” way