Editorial

Abstract

“So what harm would be done if evaluators ignored values? In one sense, no harm would be done, because evaluations would still have values implicit in them. Values inevitably permeate the selection of independent and dependent variables, the choice of questions and stakeholders, and the social and political context from which many evaluations arise. Evaluators cannot avoid values even if they try. But in another sense, real harm is done if evaluators deal with values naively or poorly through their implicit choices.” Shadish, 1994, p. 35