State Perceptions on State-Wide Evaluation in California.

N

12

Attitudes; Credibility; Elementary Secondary Education; Evaluation Needs; Expectation; Information Utilization; Legislators; Program Evaluation; State Departments of Education; State Officials; State Programs

California state officials vary in their perceptions of the functions and uses of state Department of Education evaluations, according to state legislators, legislative staff members, department administrators, and outside evaluators whose opinions were gathered through interviews and at a 1981 symposium. Highlighted here are the legislators' expectations of and interest in these evaluations as well as their perceptions of the evaluations' credibility and utilization. There is special emphasis on whether state-level evaluations of educational programs are used to legitimize existing programs or to provide informative input for judging new or ongoing programs. The findings indicate that legislators expect evaluations to provide useful input but that this seldom happens; that interest in evaluations varies from legislator to legislator; that the credibility of evaluations is low among legislators; and that legislators use (and publicize) evaluation results selectively or not at all. These findings imply that evaluation is a political process and a means of legitimizing preconceived policies. Further research should examine the politics of finance-related evaluations, such as those involving controversial issues or federal block grants. (Author/RW)

1982

ED212042