Social Construction of Reality - Bad Request

implementation (c) It produces the perception of something other than a top down
delivery. Consequently, people with voice are able to talk and process what’s
happening…. “they have time to analyze it and process it and develop a plan for change”
(p. 7) instead of feeling victimized or powerless in the face of it.
A third process use is the use of the program evaluation process to reify The
School District’s vision, mission, goals, and values. A stakeholder for this study said he
believed having the program stakeholders around the table was a good opportunity to
clarify how what people do fits with the stated goals. Another stakeholder commented
that ideally all questions within an evaluation would “filter through [district] goals, at
least looped back through them” (Interview, March 20, p. 6). Doing so would serve to
reify the goals for participants, many of whom are so consumed by daily operations at the
building level and have little occasion to ponder what the foundational district
philosophies mean when seen in action. Yet another stakeholder argued that program
evaluation should be viewed as a mechanism to constantly recalibrate back to The School
District’s mission of educating each child for success. A different stakeholder observed
program evaluation can help participants align perspectives and expectations, not only
with The School District philosophies but with those of colleagues and community.
A final process use that emerged from the individual interviews was the manner
in which program evaluation can change the organizational culture. A stakeholder
pointed out that program evaluation could change the culture by helping people slow
down, which would help the organization become more proactive, rather than reactive.
Another stakeholder commented the act itself is like putting a camera in the room: “the
very fact that there is a camera there, changes behavior instantly” (Interview, March 20).
79