When it comes time to evaluate a program, researchers and practitioners clearly have different emotional responses.
Researchers welcome evaluations.
Their development of effective programs and practices is guided by properly designed and rigorously conducted peer reviews, pilot tests, and field tests. Known as formative evaluations, these and other tools are commonly used in most areas of research. Its designers have taken out the bugs discovered during formative evaluation and have produced summative evaluation findings that show the program's effectiveness. Practitioners, however, may fear evaluations. Negative reports, especially at the school level, may be interpreted to blame the users and result in penalties.