Practical Evaluation for Educators: Finding What Works and What Doesn′t

by Roger Kaufman (Editor), Ingrid Guerra-Lopez (Editor), William A. Platt (Editor)

"Roger Kaufman and his colleagues have produced what is simply the best practical book on educational evaluation published in the past few years. It is current, clearly written, and structured in a way that educators can apply it in a huge variety of educational contexts." -Richard Clark, Professor University of Southern California   "As an evaluation book written for educators and education, this publication delivers on its promise. It provides a practical, professional, and comprehensive approach for planning and conducting evaluation studies that are meaningful and effective for understanding and improving the education enterprise." -Dale W. Lick, Professor College of Education, Florida State University, Tallahassee"The book describes how to ask and answer the right questions in order to measure the gaps in results and their consequences...Readers will be able to custom tailor an evaluation plan for their specific situations. Practical examples and scenarios along with how-to-do-it guides show readers how to apply the concepts and tools presented." -James D. Russell, EdD, Professor, Visiting Research Associate Educational Psychology and Learning Systems Institute Florida State University, Tallahassee "This book puts evaluation in a framework of societal needs, while simultaneously being results-oriented and practical. This is a unique combination of ′how to′ with ′why′ that is of immense importance in the present time when the public value of education seems to have been lost ...(while) citizens also demand specifics." -Elizabeth D. Capaldi, Vice Chancellor & Chief of Staff State University of New YorkUse program evaluations to define measurable results and deliver meaningful outcomes! Finding a straightforward approach to educational evaluations is the most important step toward discovering and reporting the meaningful results underlying the hard work of education. Kaufman, Guerra and Platt present program evaluation as a trouble-free process that any educator can effectively complete while providing the evidence required to justify and validate any educational endeavor. Drawing from the education, business, and military fields, this accessible resource shows educators, administrators, politicians, learners, and parents how to distill evaluations to uncover what works and what doesn′t. Practical Evaluation for Educators breaks down the program evaluation process into four easy-to-understand Align and direct evaluation questions into useful queries aimed at the intended results of educational programs Observe to gather pertinent, valid, and useful data Compare the results of what was accomplished to what was planned to be accomplished Use the data by taking action and adjusting programs to bring them into alignment with societal needsWhen educators see evaluation as a simple, useful tool for improving programs, measurable results become meaningful.

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Roger Kaufman, Ph.D. is an influential figure in the history of the educational technology and performance improvement fields as well as strategic thinking and planning for public- and private-sector organizations. Regarded as one of the founding figures of the field, he is referred to as the father of needs assessment.

While needs assessment is such common practice today that many new practitioners may not be able to envision a time when it was not part of the standard process, his work in this area established one of the foundational concepts that sets professional practice apart. The core tenets of his work are reflected in the professional standards for certifying performance technologists, such as the emphasis on system thinking and planning and sound evaluation of outcomes.

Over his 40 years of work Kaufman developed what he considers to be his essential work - the Mega Planning model, a framework for adding measurable value to society.

In 2014, the International Society for Performance Improvement created an honorary award named the Roger Kaufman Award for Societal Impact honoring the work of individuals or groups who apply this systemic performance assessment and planning process with clear impact on societal outcomes.

Reviews

[Yeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a keeper for all those interested in school assessments and other types of educational ventures. The scenarios are the best source for information and for learning the assessment process.