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CHECKLIST FOR NEGOTIATING AN AGREEMENT TO
EVALUATE AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME
pdf

Robert Stake

From: Stake, R.E. (1976). Evaluating Educational Programmes: The Need and the Response. Organisation for Economic and Co-operation and Development Publications Center, 1750 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 20006.

  1. Do the parties to this negotiation know each other? What more do they need to find out? Who wants an evaluation study? Would those not participating (e.g., programme developers, teachers, students) have added important perspective?

  2. What programme is it that is to be evaluated? Whose programme is it? What is its setting? its history? its purpose? its scope? How has it been evaluated before?

  3. Why is there to be an evaluation study? What is it expected to produce? What should it accomplish (e.g., recommendations, authoritative judgments, explanations, points of view)?

  4. Who are the audiences for the evaluation findings? Will different audiences (e.g., parents, technologists, members of parliament) have different background experiences and different information needs?

  5. What do the people who are most closely involved with the programme see as its major issues or problems? What issues do other people see? How do all these relate to the major issues facing education elsewhere?

  6. What resources are available for the conduct of this study? What cost estimates can be made (e.g., in money, staff time, programme disruption)?

  7. What is the work history and working style of the prospective evaluators (i.e., the persons, team, or agency)? Do they have a portfolio of reports and artifacts from completed studies?

  8. Why would the evaluators be interested in doing this study? What is there in it for them? Who else would they like to have helping them with it?

  9. What will be the primary sources of data? What arrangements would be necessary to gain access to these sources? Are rules of access needed?

  10. During the course of the evaluation study, where and how would the data be kept? What would be the rules of access to these data (e.g., to participants, sponsors, newspaper reporters)?

  11. What would be a suitable plan for reporting the findings? informal feedback? progress reports? final presentations? Are the evaluators free to publish findings in professional journals? What checks will be made on the effectiveness of the evaluation feedback?

  12. How will further arrangements be negotiated after the study begins? What will be the response to unexpected changes in programme? What misunderstandings may arise between the sponsors of the study and the evaluators? How will conflict be resolved?

  13. What more needs to be said about the purposes and expectations for the evaluation study?

 
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