Both quality and representation are constructs that are central to evaluation as a form of human discourse. Quality is perhaps the most essential idea in evaluation, and once quality is discerned, it must be conveyed, or represented to others. These constructs are considered in the context of the Chicago, Illinois public schools, an urban system that has undergone intense reform efforts. Quality, which does not mean the same thing to all people, does exist whenever someone recognizes it. The representation of quality depends on who has defined the quality as well as the planned use of the representation. Evaluators are caught up in the advocacies of schools and the provisions of the marketplace and in the compulsion of the accountability movement. One of the main responsibilities of evaluators is to represent the quality of their own industry accurately. They should not raise unattainable public expectation.(SLD)