Designing and Conducting Evaluation Research Studies: A Workshop Series for Education Practitioners

Who Should Attend

• Education practitioners and funders who are required to oversee or conduct scientifically rigorous evaluation research
• State and district administrators as well as teams of school and district leaders charged with conducting evaluation research

Goals of the Workshop Series

The workshops are designed to build the capacity of educational practitioners to design and conduct rigorous, high-quality evaluation research studies, and to be critical consumers of evaluation research findings. Additionally, requirements throughout NCLB call for methodologically sound and high-quality evaluation research.

Format of the Workshop Series

These five two-day workshops can be taken as a series or individually. Each of the workshops is structured as a fully hands-on experience.

What You Learn

Workshop 1: Evaluation Concepts for Non-Evaluators. Participants in this basic introduction learn how evaluation fits into the program improvement feedback loop, the essential-to-know terms used in evaluation research, criteria for assessing scientifically rigorous research, and decision-making protocols to ensure evaluations are useful for particular purposes.

Workshop 2: Designing an Evaluation Research Study. Participants go through a step-by-step process for designing an evaluation research study. The six steps include describing what you are going to study, identifying key audiences and stakeholders for the study, specifying the purposes for the study, building study questions, identifying the necessary information to answer key study questions, and finding or developing data collection instruments.

Workshop 3: Selecting the Right Methods for Your Evaluation Research Study. Participants sort through various inquiry methods to select the one(s) that best fits legislative requirements and/or study needs. The primary focus is on randomized and quasi-experimental design and the
practical issues and steps in conducting these kinds of studies. In addition, participants explore the variety of qualitative and quantitative methods that can be used to collect data for scientifically based studies.

Workshop 4: Analyzing and Interpreting Evaluation Research Data. Participants use statistical tools to analyze data, display data, and understand what data mean. Participants also learn the differences between results and conclusions. This workshop focuses on those statistical
techniques most frequently used in randomized and quasi-experimental designs, and how data are best entered and stored to ensure ready statistical analyses. In addition, participants explore different ways to code, classify, and categorize narrative data gathered through
qualitative data-gathering methods.

Workshop 5: Using Data to Make Compelling Arguments and Judgments. The primary focus is on how to present and report data based on the information needs of key audiences and stakeholders. Participants learn about the various ways to present and organize data, how to develop a report, ways to write about data, and how to draw valid conclusions and recommendations.

Who Facilitates Your Learning

Jordan Horowitz, Senior Project Director in WestEd’s Evaluation Research program area, leads the workshops. Additional experts from the Evaluation Research program area contribute throughout the workshops.

What Resources Support Your Learning

Each workshop includes a workbook with worksheets and job aids that help participants design and plan studies, identify the necessary steps and procedures in conducting an evaluation, and manage a study. Workbooks also contain the presentation slides and selected readings.

What the Research Says

Quality standards of inquiry built into the workshops reflect the recommendations of the Joint Commission Standards on Evaluation (McLaughlin, Weber, Covert, & Ingle, 1988), and they support evaluation research capacity building (Compton, Baizerman, & Stockdill, 2002).

Cost

Single participant Team of 3–5
Each team member beyond 5
Single workshop $1000 $2500 $500
Each additional workshop $500 $1000 $500
Series of 5 workshops $3000 $4500 $1000