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In the current context, where global comparative education testing plays an increasing role in education policy and teacher quality is identified as a key to economic performance, initial teacher education has become a focus of concern and reform. Questions are asked about the impact of university-based teacher preparation, and 'alternate routes' into teaching emerge. Currently, in Anglophone countries, there is a turn towards practice and away from preparation that is seen as overly theoretical. In this paper, we propose a conceptual model of initial teacher education impact that examines the breadth of ways in which university-based teacher education impacts on the education system, positioning initial teacher education as more than just a source of newly qualified teachers. Using a complexity thinking framework, this paper offers a nuanced way to conceptualise initial teacher education impact that acknowledges the integrated nature of the education system and the way in which all stakeholders work together to improve student learning.

Educational reform in Australia recognizes the need for an effective teacher evaluation system but has fallen short of actually prescribing one. Current practice does not align to policy intent, with teacher evaluation largely an exercise in compliance around performance management as opposed to a process that promotes evaluative thinking, continuous improvement and connection to student outcomes. The recent introduction of the Australian Professional Standards for Teaching has gone some way to providing a common language and the idea of a nationally acceptable pathway for teacher development and performance. Nonetheless, two things are missing in the Australian context: the privileging of developing evaluative mindsets in teachers and school leaders and the tools and methods that provide the 'how' of evaluation and support this thinking. Situated against a period of reform in Australia's diverse federal and multi-sectoral education system, this article first provides an analytical review of the Australian approach to teacher evaluation. It then presents two innovative approaches that support the process of evaluation and the broader information needs of an evaluation system while developing teachers' and school leaders' evaluative thinking which engages evidence-informed change and ultimately more sustainable outcomes for the education system.

The article focuses on revisiting and expanding Michael Scriven's concepts of formative and summative evaluation. Topics include the historical development and debates surrounding formative and summative evaluation, the fallacies associated with these concepts, and the need to uphold Scriven's original definitions to prevent misinterpretation.

There is a growing call for evaluation capacity building (ECB); although the area currently lacks a rich research base, there are few robust methods and practice through which to define it. The argument in this article is that the impact of evaluation is mediated by program stakeholders' engagement in evaluation activities. This mediation provides a foundation for a consideration of the merit of ECB. This study sought to find confirmation that stakeholder engagement in evaluation could influence the outcomes of a program and thus subsequently provide evidence as to the merit and significance of evaluation engagement. Multiple forms of evaluation data were collected for two long-term public health evaluations and coded and collated again on an evidence-based rubric in close consultation with the community. The influence of stakeholder's willingness and capacity to engage in evaluation activity was also investigated. The analysis revealed that stakeholders' engagement in evaluations provided reasonably unique contributions to the overall program outcomes. This article provides the impetus for evaluation-based capacity building, in that it presents empirical evidence that willingness, capacity to engage in evaluation activities, and the use of evaluation information increases the probability of achieving desired outcomes and sustainability.

The importance of evaluation use has led to a large amount of theoretical and empirical study. Evaluation use, however, is still not well understood. There is a need to capture the complexity of this phenomenon across a diverse range of contexts. In response to such complexities, the notion of "evaluation influence" emerged. This article presents a theory of evaluation influence within public sector partnerships. An analysis of key concepts is used to develop propositions about the relationships between evaluation attributes, partnership functioning and characteristics, partnership evaluation behavior, individual characteristics, contextual factors, and evaluation influence. The model highlights the complexities of evaluation influence and identifies a range of factors that evaluators can consider in practice. The model also extends on existing theories of evaluation influence in considering the role of individual characteristics, stakeholder evaluation behavior, and partnership contexts. (Contains 4 figures.)