Evaluative Inquiry

Using Evaluation to Promote Student Success

"[Parsons' work remind us] that collegial consideration of what works, what doesn't, and why is . . . interesting and enjoyable professional work."
From the Foreword by Grant Wiggins

"Whether you are planning a limited innovation in a few classrooms or implementing new state standards as a whole-school or districtwide change, this book will help you chart your course."
Judith Renyi, Executive Director
The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education

"In clear, accessible language, Beverly Parsons demystifies evaluation and provides numerous practical examples of how schools can use the methods she describes to better understand the process of change and achieve their goals—and to create schools in which youngsters and adults thrive."
Dennis Sparks, Executive Director
National Staff Development Council

"Parson's evaluative inquiry framework is a gold mine of ideas and designs. It is at once complex, accessible, and comprehensive."
From the Afterword by Michael Fullan, Dean
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
University of Toronto

Evaluative Inquiry advances the capacity of teachers and principals to provide more effective learning for all students in every type of academic environment. In this jargon-free book, Parsons delivers a systematic program evaluation process for gathering, analyzing, and identifying what changes are needed in schools today for productive learning.

Parsons provides the guidance, step-by-step instructions, and easy-to-use forms to help educators and school leaders understand and implement this hands-on, in-depth program evaluation process. Evaluative Inquiry can help you discover if your programs and initiatives are making a difference and whether they enhance the successes of students and teachers alike.

Three types of evaluative inquiry are explored in this book:

• Quality—Does the initiative promote high-quality learning?
• Sustainability—Can the initiative be sustained?
• Cultivation—Can the initiative be expanded and nurtured?

This unique book puts the evaluative process into the hands of principals, teachers, administrators, board members, foundations, and community members. It contains a number of real-life case examples to clearly demonstrate how the process actually works and outlines the tangible, successful results you can expect to realize in your own school or district.