The evaluation of the National Partnership Project in England: processes, issues and dilemmas in commissioned evaluation research

Abstract

This article reviews the processes, issues and dilemmas involved in evaluation research undertaken in the context of changing and evolving government policy in education. The article is grounded in an evaluation of the National Partnership Project (NPP), the team conducted on behalf of England's Teacher Training Agency (TTA) in 2004–2005. It will not present a critique of partnership in England, but will draw on perspectives of partnership to provide some background information to the project. It will also discuss the processes of evaluation research in the context of frameworks from recent and relevant research and will raise issues for future commissioned evaluation research to address.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the funding received in 2004–2005 from the TTA to enable this research to be undertaken.

Notes

1. In the letter of 11 February 2005 to the authors from the Contracts Department, Clause 11.3 was cited, as well as Clause 23. Clause 11.3 is a procedural clause and it is to Clause 23 that we must look for an explanation for termination. The explanation given draws upon the subtext of that clause but ignores the principal, and we assume the governing, heading—namely, ‘change of government’. Since there has been no such change of government the Agency seems to be relying on a strict interpretation of 11.3 with no acceptable reason for termination. The senior officer with responsibility for the project has gone so far as to say that the Agency has no complaint about the conduct or content of the evaluation. This paper was submitted to the TDA in June 2007.