The Evaluator as Artist (1981)

Link to the article coming soon

Artistic evaluation is a subjective process which focuses on the aesthetic qualities of an educational experience, rather than the more traditionally focus on the measurement of the outcomes of preestablished goals. It uses literary symbols, such as metaphor, voice, plot, and theme, to describe classroom settings, and to portray the personal qualities of, and interactions between teachers and students. These symbols were illustrated during the evaluation of an activities-oriented curriculum (City Building Program) by two professional evaluators. Seven teachers and administrators associated with the elementary classrooms which had implemented the curriculum discussed the evaluators' findings. Their opinions, ranging from enthusiasm to skepticism, focused on these concerns, some of which were unique to artistic evaluation: observation time; personal description; metaphor; plot; distance; release of results; and theoretician-practitioner gap. In conclusion, there is a need for feedback and interaction between evaluator and clients during the project, and before the release of findings.