Certificate Program Advisors and Reviewers

Nearly 30 individuals have been invited to review drafts of the TEI certificate programs. We sought comments and advice from individuals representing a broad swath of the evaluation field, including evaluation authorities and teachers and past and possible future participants in the Institute. We mainly used the reviews to change and fine-tune the programs but we also report here some of the "summary" statements offered by the reviewers-as we hear from other reviewers we will add their comments on the final version of the programs.

MARK LIPSEY 
Director, Center for Evaluation Research and Methodology, Vanderbilt University

"From its modest beginning, The Evaluators' Institute has grown to become the premier source of in-service training for professionals and aspiring professionals in evaluation. With the new certificate programs, the Institute offers even more significant opportunities for professional development and makes an important contribution to advancing the quality of evaluation practice. I'm pleased to be associated with the Institute and its well-deserved reputation for high quality training." 

MICHAEL QUINN PATTON
Faculty, Union Institute & University, and Consultant, Utilization-Focused Evaluation

"The long-term viability of the evaluation profession depends on high quality professional development. The Evaluators' Institute certificate program fills a longstanding gap with high quality, consistent offerings. The certificate program is a major contribution to the profession and to those who want to enhance their credentials and improve their practice."

JANE ROTH
Director, Program Evaluation and Improvement Staff, US Department of Agriculture (TEI participant)

"Great idea! The Certificate Program is much needed. It provides a win-win situation for the participant and future employer. As a Federal government supervisor of an evaluation office who searches for qualified staff and for relevant training, your program offers the answers. I would be more likely to hire an individual who has been through your program than one who has randomly taken courses. For staff on board, I can more easily design a career development program with your carefully thought out options than if I have to cut and paste for each person each time. In addition, your program offers a balance between the practical and academic instruction. I often find that folks who have taken college courses in the traditional setting, are less familiar with the real world. Overall, thanks for continuing to provide relevant evaluation training for the practitioner." 

TOM GRAYSON
Assessment Program Coordinator, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (TEI participant)

"An evaluator must set criteria for making judgments of merit or worth. The Evaluators' Institute is setting criteria for certification in the field of evaluation. Tough to do, yes, but necessary. This is good ole fashion gumption and an important thing to do. Once again, The Evaluators' Institute is providing leadership in professionalizing the field."

ERNEST HOUSE
Professor, School of Education, University of Colorado

"The need for post-university training is acute. The turnover in practicing evaluators from year to year is enormous; people with no training or knowledge of the field assume evaluation responsibilities, and some sort of training is a serious need, one that is answered with the Institute.

I like how the certificates have evolved. The idea of three contingent certificates topped off by actual practice is great. The required courses are good, and I like the elective choices, both the idea of choice and the topics themselves; they all seem worthwhile. For example, in the first certificate, I especially like the idea of having everyone engage evaluation theory as well as practical stuff---critical, in my view. And the unit on working with stakeholders--an innovative idea--is one that is likely to take on increasing importance and substance as we conduct more participatory evaluations. But the issue is important in every study, as demonstrated by having this topic among the required courses for the first certificate."

PETER ROSSI
S. A. Rice Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts

"The certificate program contains all the right courses, taught by distinguished evaluators, and offered in a convenient time format. Whoever wants to learn about systematic evaluation or upgrade their skills will find the program the best way to do so."

MEL MARK
Professor, & Senior Scientist, Inst. for Policy Research and Evaluation, Pennsylvania State University

"The Evaluators' Institute has for many years provided outstanding courses about evaluation. With its new certificate programs, the Institute takes an important step forward by providing a coherent curriculum in evaluation. This is especially needed given the many pathways through which people come to be involved in evaluation. The new certificate programs from The Evaluators' Institute represent a major way that individuals and organizations can increase evaluation capacity."

HALLIE PRESKILL
Professor, Organizational Learning & Instructional Technologies, University of New Mexico

"The Evaluator's Institute is a first-class professional development organization. The addition of these new certificates is a major contribution and service to the evaluation field. Individuals who complete these courses will be extremely well prepared to face the daily challenges of evaluation work."

ARNOLD LOVE 
Independent Consultant in Evaluation and Performance Measurement, Toronto, Canada 

"The TEI Certificate Program meets the urgent need for both novice and experienced evaluators to acquire essential knowledge and practical skills rapidly through an innovative program of high-quality short-courses taught by professional evaluators. The Certificate Program is structured to allow each individual to build a solid foundation in evaluation while tailoring his or her studies to the realities of their work situation. The combination of faculty who are well-known academics and evaluation practitioners, flexible programming, and highly-motivated participants sets the conditions for an outstanding educational experience."

GARY HENRY 
Professor, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University 

"The Evaluators' Institute is well positioned to draw on its practical and very well-received courses and organize them into comprehensive and coherent certificates that will allow the recipients to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for conducting high quality evaluations. The Certificate in Evaluation Practice will make those who complete the course of study knowledgeable about the major approaches to evaluation and how to go about applying them in the real world. The Certificate in Advanced Evaluation Practices will allow experienced evaluators to develop new skills and comfort with sophisticated approaches, as well as refining and enhancing evaluation approaches that they are already familiar with. The Certificate in Quantitative Methods will support skill development in an area that is very difficult to attain in post-graduate courses. The breadth and depth of courses will allow students to learn a great deal about the quantitative research methods that are the most commonly used and sorely needed by practicing evaluators."

MICHAEL MORRIS
Professor, & Director, Master's Program in Community Psychology, University of New Haven

".I like what has been put together for the certificate program of The Evaluators' Institute; conceptually it's very sound, and the presentation is highly professional."

JAMES SANDERS
Professor Emeritus, The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University

"I believe the certificate initiative of The Evaluators' Institute is important and I support it."

LEE SECHREST
Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona

"The training provided by The Evaluators' Institute over the years has been an important contribution to program evaluation as a field and as an activity. The certificates now offered are an equally important extension of the training. Although the first three certificates do not attest to actual competency (what the fourth is intended to do), they will show that those awarded them have completed a systematic and comprehensive set of educational courses that are a basis for offering professional services.

The offering of these certificates by The Evaluators' Institute is a distinct service to participants who will be able to document their professional preparation and to agencies, organizations, and individuals who may want to engage them. And in those two ways, the certificate program of The Evaluators' Institute will be a service to the entire field and, perhaps, an inspiration to others, including universities, that offer training in evaluation without any mechanisms for its documentation."

ROSS CONNOR
Co-Director, Center for Community Health; & Faculty, Urban & Regional Planning, University of California, Irvine

"The Evaluators' Institute makes another major contribution to evaluators and the evaluation profession with its certificate programs. Now, participants in sets of TEI's well-developed and closely-monitored evaluation courses will be able to document their commitment to increasing their professional skills and knowledge, with benefits to them, their employers and the whole evaluation field."

DARLENE RUSS-EFT
Faculty, Adult Education & Higher Education Leadership, Oregon State University

"I was really excited when I saw this certificate program. Such a program will fill an important need. . . . This certificate program enables working professionals . . . within a variety of different organizations to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to undertake effective evaluations. Through this unique certificate program, these professionals can focus their own developmental efforts and obtain recognition (for their efforts)."

VICTOR KUO
Program Officer, Evaluation and Policy Research Education, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Washington

"I think the certificate program of The Evaluators' Institute is a great idea which is sorely needed."

DAVID WILSON
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Public and International Affairs, George Mason University

"The Evaluators' Institute certificate programs look good."

JAMES E. KEE
Professor, School of Business and Public Management, George Washington University

"The certificate programs of The Evaluators' Institute provide an excellent forum for individual growth and professional development. The courses provide both breadth and depth in evaluation and the certificates will be evidence of significant progress toward attainment of the knowledge needed for effective evaluation practice."

ANN DOUCETTE
Faculty, Center for Mental Health Policy, Vanderbilt University

As the "high stakes" demand for evaluation, performance measurement, and quality monitoring increases, making decision about the qualifications of the individuals conducting such studies becomes all the more important. The certificate program of The Evaluators' Institute provides evidence of experience with topical areas, while completion of the Master Evaluator Certificate, in development, would address the competence of the individual -- considerations surely to be of interest to those selecting evaluators with whom to work.

M. A. (Marty) HENRY
M. A. Henry Consulting, St. Louis, Missouri (TEI participant)

The certification process looks great...Much needed and welcomed by those of use out here who need to provide assurances to our clients that we can do our job. I believe that with the quality of instruction found in the Institute, TEI's certification process will produce the type of evaluator who can sustain business and who can do a sound job for the client. That's indicative of high standards - and if we don't want that we shouldn't be in this business!
Dave Bushnell
External Evaluator, Bowie State University, Bowie, MD

"Effectively functioning as a professional evaluator not only requires a solid foundation in relevant evaluation methods and strategies but it also requires staying up-to-date as new and improved procedures come on-line. The Evaluators' Institute has succeeded in bridging the gap between theory and practice by bringing the top scholars in the field together with practicing evaluators. Its new certification program is the icing on the cake. It promises to strengthen the profession and improve individual performance. As professional evaluators, TEI deserves our continuing support and participation."