What can practitioners learn from theorists’ logic models?

In response to previous papers in this issue, I consider the ways that logic models of evaluation theories may improve practice. Our conceptions of how theory informs practice are colored by who we have in mind when we speak of practitioners and theorists. I offer working definitions of these roles. It is also colored by the process we imagine connects theory to practice. I present a theory-based explanation of the factors that may shape practice and describe how theorists, using logic models, may be able to exploit these factors to promote the use of their theories. Throughout, I argue that theorists are primarily responsible for the proper use of their theories just as evaluators are primarily responsible for the proper use of their evaluations. This responsibility is best fulfilled in collaboration with the larger community of evaluators. Recent methods and software allow theorists to conduct large-scale theory-building collaborations that are organized around logic models. I discuss the benefits these advances may have for the field.