John Gargani
Biographic Data
| ID | 3828264 |
|---|---|
| NAME | John Gargani |
| GIVEN NAMES | John |
| FAMILY NAME | Gargani |
| SIGNATURE | GARGANI J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Gargani + Company, Inc., Berkeley, CA, USA |
| ORCID | 0009-0007-1409-6276 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 9 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Should teacher observation systems be used for making high-stakes decisions
This study questions the suitability of teaching observation data for making high-stakes decisions that affect teachers. We define suitability (the extent to which intended purposes are advanced without causing undue harm) and argue that it fundamentally depends on the technical properties of the data produced by an observation system, which, in turn, depend on the attributes designed into the system. We conducted an experiment to understand bett…
Principles and methods to advance value for money
Value for money poses the question, “What is good resource use?” It is often answered with a narrow economic analysis that does not adequately address what diverse people value. We suggest new principles and methods that may help evaluators answer the question better. First, we define value for money, which sits at the intersection of evaluation and economics. Next, we make the case for a holistic assessment of value for money that evaluators can…
Scaling Impact: Innovation for the Public Good
What Is Program Evaluation
What Is Program Evaluation? Affiliation John Gargani PhD, and Robin Lin Miller PhDJohn Gargani is President of the American Evaluation Association and President of Gargani + Company, Inc., Berkeley, CA. Robin Lin Miller is with the Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, and also serves on the Board of Directors for the American Evaluation Association.CopyRightCorrespondence should be sent to John Gargani, President, Ga…
Response to “Rating Teachers Cheaper, Faster, and Better: Not So Fast
In Gargani and Strong (2014), we describe The Rapid Assessment of Teacher Effectiveness (RATE), a new teacher evaluation instrument. Our account of the validation research associated with RATE inspired a review by Good and Lavigne (2015). Here, we reply to the main points of their review. We elaborate on the validity, reliability, theoretical foundation, purposes, and value of RATE; answer Good and Lavigne’s criticisms; and discuss the role evide…
Can We Identify a Successful Teacher Better, Faster, and Cheaper? Evidence for Innovating Teacher Observation Systems
Teacher observations have become a national education phenomenon, mandated by federal policies and promoted by philanthropists. They are crucial components of teacher evaluation systems that often have high stakes for teachers and school systems, but have sparked little innovation. Recent calls to make teacher evaluations better, faster, and cheaper have been challenged as sitting outside the research evidence. In response, we present new evidenc…
More Than 25 Years of the American Journal of Evaluation: The Recollections of Past Editors in Their Own Words
This article explores the important role that past editors of the American Journal of Evaluation and its predecessors, Evaluation Practice and Evaluation News , played in the development of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). In interviews presented here, the editors recount the history of the association, the journal, and the field as they experienced it. Using a variety of sources, the author provides additional context for their remarks…
Do We Know a Successful Teacher When We See One? Experiments in the Identification of Effective Teachers
The authors report on three experiments designed to (a) test under increasingly more favorable conditions whether judges can correctly rate teachers of known ability to raise student achievement, (b) inquire about what criteria judges use when making their evaluations, and (c) determine which criteria are most predictive of a teacher's effectiveness. All three experiments resulted in high agreement among judges but low ability to identify effecti…
A Welcome Change From Debate to Dialogue About Causality
Can We Identify a Successful Teacher Better, Faster, and Cheaper? Evidence for Innovating Teacher Observation Systems
Teacher observations have become a national education phenomenon, mandated by federal policies and promoted by philanthropists. They are crucial components of teacher evaluation systems that often have high stakes for teachers and school systems, but have sparked little innovation. Recent calls to make teacher evaluations better, faster, and cheaper have been challenged as sitting outside the research evidence. In response, we present new evidenc…
Do We Know a Successful Teacher When We See One? Experiments in the Identification of Effective Teachers
The authors report on three experiments designed to (a) test under increasingly more favorable conditions whether judges can correctly rate teachers of known ability to raise student achievement, (b) inquire about what criteria judges use when making their evaluations, and (c) determine which criteria are most predictive of a teacher's effectiveness. All three experiments resulted in high agreement among judges but low ability to identify effecti…
Principles and methods to advance value for money
Value for money poses the question, “What is good resource use?” It is often answered with a narrow economic analysis that does not adequately address what diverse people value. We suggest new principles and methods that may help evaluators answer the question better. First, we define value for money, which sits at the intersection of evaluation and economics. Next, we make the case for a holistic assessment of value for money that evaluators can…
A Welcome Change From Debate to Dialogue About Causality
A Welcome Change From Debate to Dialogue About Causality
More Than 25 Years of the American Journal of Evaluation: The Recollections of Past Editors in Their Own Words
This article explores the important role that past editors of the American Journal of Evaluation and its predecessors, Evaluation Practice and Evaluation News , played in the development of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). In interviews presented here, the editors recount the history of the association, the journal, and the field as they experienced it. Using a variety of sources, the author provides additional context for their remarks…
Do We Know a Successful Teacher When We See One? Experiments in the Identification of Effective Teachers
The authors report on three experiments designed to (a) test under increasingly more favorable conditions whether judges can correctly rate teachers of known ability to raise student achievement, (b) inquire about what criteria judges use when making their evaluations, and (c) determine which criteria are most predictive of a teacher's effectiveness. All three experiments resulted in high agreement among judges but low ability to identify effecti…
Can We Identify a Successful Teacher Better, Faster, and Cheaper? Evidence for Innovating Teacher Observation Systems
Teacher observations have become a national education phenomenon, mandated by federal policies and promoted by philanthropists. They are crucial components of teacher evaluation systems that often have high stakes for teachers and school systems, but have sparked little innovation. Recent calls to make teacher evaluations better, faster, and cheaper have been challenged as sitting outside the research evidence. In response, we present new evidenc…
Response to “Rating Teachers Cheaper, Faster, and Better: Not So Fast
In Gargani and Strong (2014), we describe The Rapid Assessment of Teacher Effectiveness (RATE), a new teacher evaluation instrument. Our account of the validation research associated with RATE inspired a review by Good and Lavigne (2015). Here, we reply to the main points of their review. We elaborate on the validity, reliability, theoretical foundation, purposes, and value of RATE; answer Good and Lavigne’s criticisms; and discuss the role evide…
What Is Program Evaluation
What Is Program Evaluation? Affiliation John Gargani PhD, and Robin Lin Miller PhDJohn Gargani is President of the American Evaluation Association and President of Gargani + Company, Inc., Berkeley, CA. Robin Lin Miller is with the Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, and also serves on the Board of Directors for the American Evaluation Association.CopyRightCorrespondence should be sent to John Gargani, President, Ga…
Scaling Impact: Innovation for the Public Good
Principles and methods to advance value for money
Value for money poses the question, “What is good resource use?” It is often answered with a narrow economic analysis that does not adequately address what diverse people value. We suggest new principles and methods that may help evaluators answer the question better. First, we define value for money, which sits at the intersection of evaluation and economics. Next, we make the case for a holistic assessment of value for money that evaluators can…
Should teacher observation systems be used for making high-stakes decisions
This study questions the suitability of teaching observation data for making high-stakes decisions that affect teachers. We define suitability (the extent to which intended purposes are advanced without causing undue harm) and argue that it fundamentally depends on the technical properties of the data produced by an observation system, which, in turn, depend on the attributes designed into the system. We conducted an experiment to understand bett…
Computer Science (6 works) · Political science (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Educational Assessment and Improvement (4 works) · Evaluation and Performance Assessment (3 works) · Rubric (3 works) · Economics (2 works) · Library science (2 works) · Management (2 works) · Mathematics education (2 works)