Q: What should we expect in a report from our evaluator?
A: The report should explain why the evaluation was conducted and the questions it was intended to answer. It should describe the objectives of the magnet program and its history within the district. The report should indicate what the board, staff, or others wanted to learn from the evaluation and why, and describe methods used to collect and analyze data. Implications for program maintenance, expansion, redirection, and funding should be included as appropriate. The report may recommend future actions that can be taken to improve the program further.
Q: When and how are findings best shared with our stakeholders?
A: Depending on the stakeholders and their needs, evaluation findings can be shared at regular intervals throughout the evaluation as well as at the end. Presentations of information should be organized based on the stakeholders’ needs. One way to determine this is to review the questions posed by different groups when the evaluation was just getting under way and presenting results accordingly. Choose a presentation format appropriate to a particular group’s background knowledge and role in the evaluation. Possible formats include: a written report; a short summary statement such as an executive summary, memo, or letter; an oral report, workshop, or presentation; film or videotape; photo essays, wall charts, or displays; graphs and visuals; media releases; and internet postings.
Q: What is the difference between formative and summative uses of data?
A: A formative evaluation approach uses data to improve program implementation, address unanticipated problems as they are discovered, and/or document progress toward desired outputs. This generally occurs as the program is still being developed as in a start-up or pilot. A summative approach uses data to make judgments and decisions about whether to continue, modify, or end a particular program. In the evaluation of a magnet program, there may be both formative and summative uses of data.
Q: How are evaluation findings commonly used?
A: Evaluation results, no matter what the field, are generally used to do three things: make judgments, inform decisions about improvements, and/or provide knowledge. Some examples of how findings from a magnet program evaluation could be used include:
- Make decisions about modifying the program,
- Change recruitment or student assignment practices,
- Justify a magnet program and ensure financial support,
- Replicate or expand a magnet program,
- Make decisions about professional development, coaching, or other curriculum or instructional support, and
- · Build community understanding of and support for magnet programs.
Q: What is the evaluator’s role in interpreting evaluation findings and making recommendations for change?
A: Evaluators have an ethical obligation to remain objective and fair. To that end, their role is to provide descriptive feedback about the program evaluated and accurate judgments on the impact and merit of the program based on the data collected. This involves preparing and delivering findings in a variety of oral and written formats, perhaps to different audiences. The application of findings, however, is the responsibility of the district, not the evaluator. The evaluator might assist the district in understanding the findings and support the correct use and appropriate application of findings. Involvement beyond this would require the evaluator to compromise his stance as an unbiased researcher.
