This checklist was developed to aid evaluators in making evaluation more meaningful to the diverse makeup of education stakeholders in the current marketplace. With education reform in the forefront and accountability a key issue, community involvement in education has greatly evolved in the past few years. As a result, the makeup of education stakeholders has also changed dramatically. Collaborations, partnerships, and collective action are buzzwords in education today. But businesses, government, parents, media, and community partners do not speak the same language as the education community. It is almost the tale of two different worlds that overlap the public and private sectors. Even though both are focused on issues of accountability, measurable outcomes, and connecting evaluation to strategic planning in school reform, the ideology and modus operandi of the education sector and larger community are quite different.
Evaluators need to recognize the current makeup of education stakeholders and format their products (reports) to be more meaningful and understandable to noneducation stakeholders in the community. This is critical in order to attract and sustain corporate funding and involvement in education, assist school board members in making important decisions about goals and objectives, and optimize the partnerships for overall gains in schools. By using an appropriate evaluation design and delivery method, evaluators can create a win-win situation for all and can impact major policy decisions.
The following checklist is organized on three levels:
1. Assessing the Customer Base (preevaluation)
2. Formatting the Evaluation (during and postevaluation)
3. Disseminating the Information and Educating the Stakeholders (postevaluation)
The rationale supporting each recommended step is provided in parenthesis.
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