2012 EERS Conference 

     The Eastern Evaluation Research Society (EERS), a local affiliate of the American Evaluation Association, has been serving evaluators in the northeast region for over thirty years. EERS is very pleased to announce the 35th Annual Conference to be held at the Seaview Resort and Spa in Absecon, New Jersey on April 29-May 1, 2012. The conference theme for this year is Evaluation in a Complex World: Balancing Theory and Practice.

Our annual conference is designed to (a) provide a forum for learning, networking, and sharing expertise in an intimate and welcoming atmosphere, (b) provide opportunities for learning new skills at multiple levels, (c) nurture new evaluators and inspire seasoned evaluators, and (d) facilitate cross displinary discussions about evaluation in both formal and informal contexts. The conference provides a range of sessions that promote interaction and exchange of ideas, as well as opportunities for skill-building, rather than simply a delivery of presentations by speakers.

In keeping up with our reputation of offering a high-quality conference that challenges participants with new ideas and provides opportunities to develop new skills, we have secured a great group of keynote speakers and workshops.

Plenary speakers include:

• Jennifer Greene, President, American Evaluation Association (AEA) and Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois;
• Eleanor Chelimsky, former AEA President and former Director of Program Evaluation and Methodology, U.S. General Accounting Office;
  and
• Rodney Hopson, AEA President-Elect and Professor of Education, Dusquesne University.

  Pre-conference workshops:

The EERS conference provides opportunities for evaluators to gain hands-on skills. We offer two pre-conference workshops, which will be held on Sunday, April 29, 2012 before the evening dessert reception. The workshop registration fee is $60. Attendees can register for workshops online beginning in February 2012.

This year's pre-conference workshops include:

• An Introduction to Using Meta-Analysis in Evaluation (to be conducted by Ning Rui, Research for Better Schools).
• Focus Group Research: Planning and Implementation (to be conducted by Michele Revels, ICF International)

Invited Author Awardees:

In addition, we welcome this years Invited Author Awardees;  S. Marshall Perry, Tanner LeBaron Wallace, and Di Xu who will be presenting at the conference.The EERS Invited Author Award is a special academic honor that recognizes exceptional scholarship by recently-published authors in the field of program evaluation.  

Conference registration:

Conference registration will be available online starting in February 2012. The conference registration fee is $250 (before March 12, 2012) and $300 (after March 12, 2012). The student fee is $85. This fee includes:

• Sunday evening dessert reception
• Monday continental breakfast
• Monday keynote luncheon
• Monday evening networking reception
• Tuesday full breakfast buffet
• Tuesday buffet luncheon
• Snacks and beverages during conference breaks.

Hotel registration:

The conference will be held at the Seaview Resort and Spa in Absecon, New Jersey. You may reserve a hotel room online at http://www.dolce-seaview-hotel.com/. Hotel reservations are approximately $139/night plus taxes and fees. When making your travel plans, please plan to arrive at the conference on Sunday afternoon (April 29, 2012) to take advantage of one of our pre-conference workshops and our Sunday evening dessert reception. The conference lasts until Tuesday afternoon (May 1, 2012). Therefore, most attendees reserve a hotel room for 2 nights.

Membership:

If you are interested in becoming an EERS member, please print and mail a hard copy of the membership form (below) to the EERS Treasurer, Susan Jenkins, at: Susan Jenkins, 12207 Castlewall Court, Bowie, MD 20720. Membership is not requred to present at or attend the annual conference. Please email Susan Jenkins at Jenkinssm@aol.com with any questions.  

             Read More »