Ralph W. Tyler

Ralph Winfred Tyler (1902 to 1994) was an American educator who worked in assessment and evaluation and is often called the father of educational evaluation. Born in Chicago and raised in Nebraska, he began as a high school science teacher, took his doctorate at the University of Chicago in 1927 and taught at Ohio State University, where he is credited with coining the term evaluation for aligning measurement with educational objectives. He led the evaluation staff of the Eight-Year Study of secondary school curricula, then returned to the University of Chicago and from 1953 directed the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford. His 1949 book Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction set out what became known as the Tyler Rationale, four questions about purposes, learning experiences, organisation and evaluation, and it has been reprinted in dozens of editions. He also chaired the committee that developed the National Assessment of Educational Progress and advised several United States presidents.