A Conversation on Evaluation Utilization.

The article focuses on the problems related to using school district evaluations. The main thrust is on increasing the utilization of programs such as compensatory education. It explores some of the contextual characteristics of school districts that might impede or enhance utilization. The approach is positive-exploring evaluator traits and actions that could improve the extent to which evaluations are used. It presents a conversation, between one of the leading researchers on evaluation utilization and a highly respected evaluation practitioner that actually took place during a seminar at the University of California, Los Angeles, Graduate School of Education. Subsequently, the transcript of that conversation was edited and adapted for publication. The district will need to define a process that is continuous. A person should have continuing responsibility for evaluation, and that person should be identifiable. The evaluation person should not be program dependent, but should be knowledgeable of the program and have rapport with program implementers.