Evaluation research is currently facing a crisis. At the same time that federal and other funding sources are placing increasing emphasis on evaluating on-going programs, action personnel are becoming more and more skeptical about the value of such research. Evidence of this skepticism can be found at any gathering of evaluators. Certainly, different frames of reference guide researchers and educational programers. However, in the long run, both are aiming at the same goal -- a more effective program. This suggests that there is enough common ground between researchers and programers to provide a basis for working together, and that some adequate compromise can be struck between the needs of research and those of education programs. (author/mf)