An Empirical Study of Building the Evaluation Capacity of K–12 Site-Managed Project Personnel

Abstract

This article examines the effects of professional development, including formal workshops and ongoing consultation, on the evaluation capacity of K–12 school faculty and administrators who were conducting evaluations of 17 site-managed projects. Changes in the faculty’s and administrators’ (a) attitudes toward evaluation, (b) self-confidence as evaluators, and (c) assessments of their capabilities as evaluators were examined. School personnel’s attitudes toward evaluation did not improve, but their self-confidence as evaluators and their assessment of their evaluation capabilities both showed improvement. The conclusions buttress the argument that, with training and the assistance of experienced evaluators, school personnel can build their evaluation capacity. A number of limitations in study design and data are noted.