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AEA Newsletter
January 2008
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AEA Colleagues,
Greetings and Happy New Year!
At the top of the list of AEA resolutions for 2008:
improve communications. Towards that end, please
join me in welcoming Gwen Newman as our new
Newsletter Editor. She will see that this missive
appears in your email inbox each month. Do you have
a great idea for an article? Share it with Gwen at [email protected].
You may also have had the opportunity to
meet
Damon
Thompson at the annual conference in Baltimore.
Damon began work this fall as our Communications
Director, a new position for AEA and one identified as
a top staffing priority by the Board of Directors. Damon
is
helping us to think strategically about the content,
quality, frequency, and means of communications
used across AEA. As the year moves forward, you will
see changes throughout the association and we will
be using the newsletter as one way to keep you up to
date on happenings within AEA as well as in the
broader evaluation community.
Whatever your professional and personal goals in the
year ahead, all of us at AEA wish you the very best!
And, if
there is a way that we may help you to reach those
goals,
please do not hesitate to connect!
Sincerely,
Susan Kistler, AEA Executive Director
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Global Twinning
AEA partners with international network
As part of its international efforts, AEA in 2007
undertook a collaboratively-developed twinning project
with the International Program Evaluation Network
(IPEN). IPEN asked AEA to send a member and
evaluation expert to serve as its official representative
to IPEN's 7th annual conference, held September
26-28 in
Moscow, to lead a workshop and to provide a lecture
related to the conference theme of "Reforms and
Evaluation of Programs and Policies."
Under its chair, Donna Podems, the International
Committee selected former AEA President Ross
Conner to represent the association. Conner was
part of the conference's opening session, during
which he extended AEA's greetings and explained the
IPEN-AEA "twinning" project. He also conducted a
workshop on community-based evaluation and gave
an expert lecture on evaluation and politics.
"In general, I believe the goals of the twinning project
were accomplished," Conner said. "The IPEN
attendees learned more about some evaluation
issues from an American perspective and also about
AEA, and I learned more about IPEN, its leadership,
and current issues of special interest in the
Russia-NIS (Newly Independent States) region. At
AEA's
Baltimore meeting, I shared my experiences and
learnings with AEA's leadership and members."
More than 100 people attended the IPEN conference,
with about three-fourths of them from Russia. Among
the other four US attendees was Thomas Grayson,
the
incoming chair of AEA's International Committee, who
attended on his own. Grayson made a presentation
on
the use of logic models for performance management
program planning and evaluation.
IPEN's Website
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AJE's Top 10
Most-cited articles in last five years
The American Journal of Evaluation (AJE)
remains a publication of choice for top authors to
submit their articles and to search for relevant content
for citation. According to the Thomson Web of
Science� Database, these are the top 10 most-cited
AJE articles since 2002:
- Questions about behavior: Cognition,
communication, and questionnaire construction, by
N. Schwarz and D. Oyserman; Spring-Summer
2001
- Fidelity criteria: Development, measurement and
validation,
by C.T. Mowbray, M.C. Holter, G.B. Teague, et al; Fall
2003
- A three-step approach to teaching logic models, by
R. Renger and A. Titcomb; Winter 2002
- Integrating a comparison group design into a
theory of change evaluation: The case of the urban
health initiative, by B.C. Weitzman, D. Silver and K.N.
Dillman; Winter 2002
- Evaluation and organizational learning: Past,
present and future," by R.T. Torres and H. Preskill; Fall
2001
- Evaluation, knowledge management, best
practices, and high quality lessons learned, by M.Q.
Patton, Fall 2001
- The metaevaluation imperative, by D.L.
Stufflebeam; Spring-Summer 2001
- Beyond use: Understanding evaluation's influence
on attitudes and actions, by G.T. Henry and M.M. Mark;
Fall 2003
- The potential of social capital measures in the
evaluation of comprehensive community-based health
initiatives, by D.M. Petersen; Winter 2002
- Is sustainability possible? A review and
commentary on empirical studies of program
sustainability, by M.A. Scheirer; September 2005
Kudos to these wonderful authors, and to all who
share their knowledge and expertise via the journal. A
subscription to AJE is one of the many
benefits of AEA membership. AEA members also get
free online access to AJE back content -
including these articles and others - by signing on to
the "members only" section at http://www.eval.org.
In addition to AJE's more than 6,100
subscribers, 956
libraries also have access to the journal - an increase
of more than 33 percent over last year. So why don't
you submit your best work? Find more information
about submissions to AJE at
http://www.eval.org/Publications/AJE.asp.
To access AJE online, sign in
to the AEA website at http://www.eval.org/
using your AEA username and
password.
- Your username is:
- Your password is:
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Guttentag Winner
Liliana Rodriguez-Campos honored as young professional
Liliana Rodriguez-Campos bears the honor of being
named the recipient of AEA's 2007 Marcia Guttentag
Award, which recognizes a talented young
professional in the field of evaluation. Presented to a
promising new evaluator during the first five years
after
completion of his or her Masters or Doctoral degree
and whose work is consistent with AEA's Guiding
Principles for Evaluators, the award most recently
was
claimed by a 2002 graduate of Western Michigan
University (WMU) who already is the published author
of a critically acclaimed book, a promising teacher and
mentor and a professional already very active in her
field.
Rodriguez-Campos graduated with honors from
WMU's Evaluation, Measurement and Research
Design program and in 2005 wrote
Collaborative Evaluations: A Step-by-Step Model for
the Evaluator, which reviewers note provides a very
clear and easy to follow road map filled with practical
tips and examples of real-life experiences.
Rodriguez-Campos dedicates one full chapter to the
use of
specific guidelines when conducting evaluations and
another full section to the use of AEA's Guiding
Principles for Evaluators.
Rodriguez-Campos has presented in more than 15
countries, served as a keynote speaker and is
unremitting in her emphasis on the use of
established
AEA principles in any type of evaluation. She is now a
faculty member in the Department of Educational
Measurement and Research at the University of South
Florida.
"It is an honor to be recognized by as prestigious an
organization as the American Evaluation Association
for my accomplishments in the field," says
Rodriguez-Campos. "I come away from the
experience
with a
heightened sense of purpose and dedication to my
colleagues and my students."
WMU's Michael S. Nokes nominated
Rodriguez-Campos for the award, explaining that her
passion for
sharing knowledge and experience is apparent both
in
her writing and in her teaching.
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Mixed Methods
AEA award winner explores integrated methodology
Author Jennifer C. Greene offers insights into the
theory and
design of mixed methods studies as well as practical
guidance and detailed examples in Mixed Methods
in Social Inquiry, published in October 2007 by
John S. Wiley & Sons Inc./Jossey-Bass.
Greene is a professor in quantitative and evaluative
research methodologies at University of
Illinois-Champaign and recipient of the 2003 AEA
Paul F. Lazarsfeld Award for contributions to
Evaluation
Theory. She has offered training in mixed-methods
evaluation in a number of venues including the
AEA/CDC Summer Institute and her work
focuses on the intersection of social science and
policy. Greene notes that she "seeks to advance
the theory and practice of alternative forms of
evaluation, including qualitative, democratic, and
mixed-method approaches."
From the book cover:
"This is an excellent addition to
the literature of integrated methodology. The author
has skillfully integrated diverse ways of thinking about
mixed methods into a comprehensive and meaningful
framework. By providing detailed examples, she
makes it easy for both the students and the
practitioners to understand the intricate details and
complexities of doing mixed methods research. On
the other hand, by comparing, contrasting, and
bridging multiple perspectives about mixed methods,
she has made this book very relevant and useful to
seasoned scholars of mixed methodology."
- Abbas Tashakkori, Florida International University &
founding coeditor, Journal of Mixed Methods Research
"Jennifer Greene's book is an exquisite and
indispensable map for those who are ready for the
challenge of genuinely mixing methods." -
Michael Quinn Patton, author, Utilization-Focused
Evaluation.
Wiley/Jossey-Bass offers AEA members a special
savings on its publications when ordered directly from
the publisher. To receive your 20% discount, please
use the Promotional Code "AEAF8" online or by phone
(1-800-225-5945).
Publisher's Website
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Systems Thinking
Systems in Evaluation TIG compiling case studies
The Systems in Evaluation TIG formed as the result of
a series of
sessions on systems thinking in evaluation offered
during the 2002
annual meeting in Washington, DC. The TIG was
created to provide a
forum for ongoing conversations about systems
thinking and its use in
evaluation. The TIG grew rapidly to a current
membership of over 300
and with it has increased interest in the use of ideas
drawn from the
systems field in evaluation. Many speakers in past
two AEA
conferences have drawn directly and indirectly on
ideas drawn from
the systems field. The recent AEA Monograph,
Systems Concepts in Evaluation,
has been widely distributed and discussed.
The TIG's focus has been to look at systems
thinking as a
framework for evaluation design, implementation, and
data analysis.
Examples include:
- Methodologies for evaluation that utilize systems
theory to inform the design and execution of the actual
evaluation itself.
- Discussion about how to ground evaluation
methodology in systems thinking and systems
theory.
- Discussion around the intersection of program
design, evaluation methodology, and data analysis
within the framework of systems thinking.
Over the next year or so, these themes will expand into
the collection and dissemination of case studies that
highlight the ways in which systems thinking and
systems methodologies can be used in
evaluation. The TIG keeps an eye on the Systems
and Evaluation discussion group Evalsys (
http://evaluation.wmich.edu/archives/index.html) -
the
main means by which TIG members and others can
exchange ideas and experiences and has
responded to member issues through surveys and
meetings that combine team building, show
and tell and group decision making. In the year ahead,
the group plans to work more closely with other TIGs
to promote cross-disciplinary ideas and activities and
to identify additional resources. For more information,
contact Bob Williams at
[email protected].
This TIG profile is part of an ongoing effort to
spotlight the goals and activities of AEA's more than
40 topical interest groups. AEA members may belong
to up to five TIGs as part of their membership benefits
and may change their TIG selections at any time by
signing on to the AEA website and updating their
personal profile.
AEA's TIG Directory
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Summer Institute
Save the Dates!
We are finalizing the lineup for the 2008 AEA/CDC
Summer Evaluation Institute.
Key coordinates:
- Dates: Monday, June 23 through Wednesday,
June
25
- Location: Sheraton Atlanta Hotel in Atlanta,
Georgia
- What: More than 50 evaluation-focused training
sessions
Last year's institute brought together more than 500
attendees for quality training and the opportunity to
build their professional networks. This year, we'll have
tried-and-true offerings such as instrument
development and quantitative analysis, more
advanced topics including applications of evaluation
theory, and keynote addresses to motivate and
inspire. Registration - and the full
program - will go online in March.
We'll keep you updated via this newsletter and send
out a free-standing announcement upon registration
startup.
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SEA Conference
Annual Meeting in Tallahassee with Stufflebeam
The Southeast Evaluation Association (SEA), an
affiliate of AEA serving the Southeast United States,
will hold its 20th annual conference February 28-
29 in Tallahassee, Florida. The conference
theme is Evaluation and Accountability: A Formula
for Success and will cover evaluation across a
broad array of program and policy areas at the
national, state, and local levels.
This year's Keynote Speaker, Daniel Stufflebeam, is
known for his work on the evaluation checklists
project, his authorship of numerous standardized
achievement tests as well as articles and texts
including Evaluation Theory, Models, & Applications
(with Anthony Shinkfield, Jossey Bass, 2007), his
leadership of the Evaluation Center at Western
Michigan University, and his leadership in developing
the Joint Committee standards for evaluations.
Stufflebeam was the originator of one of the first
models for systematic evaluation, the CIPP (Context,
Input, Process, and Product) model, and has been
recognized for his outstanding work with awards from
the American Evaluation Association, Western
Michigan University, and the Center for Research on
Educational Accountability and Teacher Education.
Stufflebeam will offer two pre-conference workshops
on February 27 focusing on evaluation approaches
and models and standards-based meta-evaluation,
as well as deliver the keynote address on February 28,
titled The CIPP Model for Evaluation: a model that
supports improvement & accountability.
The two-day conference will include multiple
presentations by colleagues in a range of disciplines.
SEA members and nonmembers alike are invited to
Tallahassee for this event. Registration is open
and more information is available online.
SEA Website
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Get Involved!
Get the most out of your membership
The start of the new year brings more ways than ever
to get involved with AEA. Here are just a few. We'll be
sending more details about the Calls for Board and
Award
Nominations, but wanted you to have a list of the many
things to do right now to participate in the life of the
association.
Please click through to the
appropriate item below.
We will have more to share over the coming months
about how to participate fully in the life of the
association.
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