30 - Theory Meets Practice: A Discussion of How Current Evaluation Graduate Studies Programs Align with the Practical Field of Evaluation

Abstract Information: In 2019 as a recent college graduate, I accepted a position as a Research Specialist conducting research and evaluation services to local, state, and federal clients focused on youth and adult education. Entering the field, I had no previous experience conducting evaluations, however, during my subsequent five years in the field I have received on-the-job training across evaluation components including evaluation design, instrument development, data collection and analysis, and evaluation reporting and dissemination. Even so, as I continued in my career as an early evaluator, I began to see the expansiveness of the field and the nuanced methodologies and approaches needed to accurately measure and evaluate programs and policies. This desire drove me to begin a graduate degree in measurement and evaluation in summer 2022. As I am rounding out my final courses in the program, I have begun to consider how my experiences conducting evaluations and the graduate education I received aligned with and diverged from each other. This birds of a feather discussion will provide an opportunity for current graduate students, graduate faculty, and evaluation professionals to engage in a discussion of the promising practices, lessons learned, and recommendations based on their experiences as or working with graduate students with varying degrees of experience with evaluation.