This paper proposes an alternative means by which to produce improvement in the quality of professional convention programs. This method is one in which concern for professional relatedness supersedes a concern for individual competition. Dialogue as the first essential element in relatedness would encourage varied perspectives on research…

This researcher discusses what he has learned about the field of program evaluation and makes three observations: (1) Testing does not define key objectives in evaluation. (2) Politics influences what clients want to know. (3) Case studies are necessary for epistemological reasons. (LMO)

The author perceives the field of evaluation to be changing in several significant ways: (1) support for planning efforts is diminishing; (2) numbers of full-time staff working on these projects is diminishing; (3) personnel specialists are becoming generalists; (4) specialties are becoming blurred; and (5) conceptual and technical paradigms are…