2002 NLPES Fall Training Conference

The Changing Climate of Evaluation: Responding to Demands

September 18-21, 2002
Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona
Hosted by the Arizona Office of The Auditor General

Co-sponsored by the
Arizona Evaluation Network
(an affiliate of the American Evaluation Association)

Tentative Agenda || Arizona Information

Track 1: The Climate of Accountability
Sessions might focus on such topics as:

Technology issues: how agencies are tracking activities and outcomes
Demands for agency accountability, i.e. high stakes tests
Defining and measuring performances and outcomes
Evaluating agencies with multiple masters
Accountability for program evaluation/performance auditing
Trends in standardization of agency performance
Sunset legislation and its successors, what’s going on?
Technical sessions on methods

Track 2: The Political and Legislative Climate
Sessions might focus on such topics as:

Trends in governing, i.e. term limits
Changing expectations, i.e. cross–agency evaluations
Privatization post–mortem: privatization, where are we?
Evaluating sacred cows: DARE, college athletic programs
Emerging issues: education reform, changing demographics
Independence and thoroughness
Responsiveness and timeliness

Track 3: Delivering the Weather Report
Sessions might focus on such topics as:

Media view: evaluating in a sound-bite world
Written reports: processes, alternative formats
Software: publishing, presentation
Disclosure and confidentiality
Interacting face–to–face with the Legislature
Reporting via web site and e-mail

ARIZONA INFORMATION

DESTINATIONS TO VISIT

Grand Canyon National Park and Monument–One of the seven wonders of the world
Sedona–Soaring red rock cliffs and the vast panoramas of the Verde Valley and Oak Creek Canyon
Jerome–Rejuvenated old mining and ghost town
Lake Powell–With more coastline than the West Coast of the United States and 96 canyons to explore
Meteor Crater–The most well-preserved and largest impact site on earth
Nogales, Mexico–This Mexican border town is a shopper’s paradise
Painted Desert–High desert region with a brilliant array of colors splashed across the landscape
Petrified Forest–A 160-million-year-old forest with the largest find of petrified wood in the world
Tombstone–A museum town filled with the history of the Old West
Tucson–University of Arizona, Mission San Xavier del Bac, the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, and Kitt Peak National Observatory
Kartchner Caverns State Park–One of the top ten caves in the world

GOLF: Over 174 golf courses in the metropolitan area with 18 PGA Tour pros living in and around Scottsdale

Shopping/Art

Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall
Borgata
el Pedregal Festival Marketplace
Old Town Scottsdale
Arizona Mills
Biltmore Fashion Park
Main Street Arts & Antiques District
Marshall Way Arts District

Activities/General

Salt River Tubing
Desert Botanical Garden
Dolly Steamboat at Canyon Lake
Grand Canyon Railway
Out of Africa Wildlife Park
Verde Canyon Railroad
Hot Air Balloon Tours
Phoenix Greyhound Park
Diamondbacks Baseball Team and Bank One Ballpark
Cardinals Football
Jeep Tours
Phoenix Zoo
Horseback Riding
Arizona State University

Museums

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West
Heard Museum
Phoenix Art Museum
Rawhide
Champlin Fighter Aircraft Museum
Hall of Flame Museum of Fire Fighting
Pueblo Grande Museum
Scottsdale Historical Society
Arizona Science Center

Performing Arts

Herberger Theater
Kerr Cultural Center
Scottsdale Center for the Arts
Phoenix Symphony

Dining
Scottsdale has more than 600 restaurants. For Example, Fashion Square Mall, across the street from the hotel, has a food court with a wide variety of options, as well as restaurants like P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Z Tejas Grill, and La Madeleine French Bakery and Café. Downtown Scottsdale, a short walk away, has dozens of other choices ranging from fast food to fine dining.

For more information, contact Shan Hays at shays@auditorgen.state.az.us

Arizona Office of the Auditor General
2910 N. 44th St. Suite 410
Phoenix, Arizona 85018
www.auditorgen.state.az.us
Tel. (602) 553-0333
Fax (602) 553-0051

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