Preface

Evaluation is comprised of diverse, oftentimes conflicting, theories and practices that reflect the philosophies, ideologies, and assumptions of the time and place in which they were constructed. Underlying this diversity is the search for program quality. It is the search for understanding and, consequently, is the fundamental, and most challenging, task confronting the evaluator. This volume is divided into four broad sections, each of which conveys a different vision of quality that include postmodern and normative perspectives, practice-driven concerns, and applied examples in the field of education.