The stages of the policy process are examined and explained in terms of the decision making framework. The policy process is comprised of four stages; policy analysis, policy formation, policy decision, and political analysis. Political analysis is the performance of the market analysis needed for a decision. The political weight, rather than the net benefits of a course of action, is the concern of political analysis. Evaluation and research data have been repeatedly used/misused in the determination and shaping of educational policy and in the resolution of educational funding and political decisions. Evaluation occurs in a political environment. Program objectives must be clearly delineated to enable evaluators to develop appropriate questions for investigation. If evaluations are to be used in decision making and program improvement, the evaluator has to become more than a mechanic playing with numbers that are often poor proxies for program outcomes. To evaluate a program effectively, the evaluator needs to know the nature of the program, the reason the program was established, and the motivations of the political entities and policy makers. (DWH)