2002 NLPES-Fall Training Conference Notes
Changing Expectations and Demands
Moderator, Gary Van Landingham, Deputy Director of the Florida Office
of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability began by offering
comments intended to provoke thought about the changing conditions affecting
the field of program evaluation. He suggested that the field faces several
problematic trends:
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Policy research has become increasingly politicized
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Increased party parity and term limits have eroded traditional support
for our work
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We have not been effective at identifying ineffective programs and achieving
cost savings
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Therefore, support for our role as a "good government" function can no
longer be assumed
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We need to move aggressively to prove our worth.
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Gary suggests that we need to adapt to these fundamental changes, or the
field of program evaluation will die out.
Jane Thesing, Assistant Director of South Carolina Legislative Audit Council
explained that her office has been forced to face the following challenges
of change:
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Focus on finding funds to ease state budget strains
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Increased demand for immediate answers
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Increased emphasis on accountability for all agencies
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Changing communication techniques, including expanded use of the Internet
South Carolina has addressed these challenges in a variety of ways, including:
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Devoting additional staff time to cost savings issues and routinely using
conservative cost savings estimates
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Briefing legislators prior to publication and during fieldwork and adjusting
project priorities
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Refining their own performance measures and implementing a follow-up process
with agencies audited
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Limiting the length of their reports to 30 pages and distributing reports
to legislators by e-mail if the individual legislator is willing to forego
a hard copy
Greg Rest, Chief Methodologist, Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review
Commission explained that his organization has had to adapt, continuously,
over the years due to changes in the political party that has been in control
of the Administration vs. the Legislature. Greg believes that the key to
surviving changes is to be flexible in how we do our work, including shortening
the time to produce reports, being flexible in who we work with and how
they want our work completed.
Gary Van Landingham wrapped things up with a summary of the strengths
of our field, which he says that NLPES must continue to be challenged to
promote, including:
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Producing independent, objective work
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Improving the reporting of our performance measures
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Improving our outreach efforts, particularly in educating new legislators
 2002
Fall Training Conference Notes
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