Richard A. “Tony” Eichelberger, one of the founding faculty of the Policy, Planning and Evaluation studies doctoral program in the School Education, died Jan. 9, 2024. A memorial service is set for 2 to 4 p.m. May 17 at Heinz Chapel.
Former student and colleague Cindy Tananis, now associate professor emeritus in the school, said that Eichelberger was an early proponent of program evaluation as a critical component of public planning and ongoing decision making in education. He served as an advisor to many contracted evaluations of educational programs, especially focusing on impacts for children and families living in poverty.
He was also a key faculty member in establishing a core course in disciplined inquiry for educational doctoral students, publishing a central text in the area, “Disciplined Inquiry: Understanding and Doing Educational Research” (1989).
“Tony became both my doctoral advisor and colleague across the years,” said Tananis, recalling their work together on evaluation projects, teaching courses and undertaking grants and contracts. “He was generous in his shared time and expertise — always willing to provide his perspective while also respecting others’ views. He listened carefully, underlining the importance of understanding the perspectives of clients and stakeholders in education. His ability to listen without judgment was also pivotal in his teaching as he encouraged students to stay with the problem — working through to a deeper understanding.’
Eichelberger’s wife, Rita Bean — also a professor emeritus in the school — recalled her husband joining Pitt’s Learning, Research and Development Center around 1970 to work on a federally funded study called Project Follow Through, which the government today calls “the most extensive educational experiment ever conducted.” It had begun in 1968 and was aimed at finding the best curricula to serve at-risk children in grades K-3. The study involved more than 200,000 children in 178 spots in the U.S., covering 22 different educational models.
“Evaluation was his major emphasis,” Bean said, “working in these national programs and trying to find out what programs were best for young children, especially in reading, writing and math.”
Eichelberger became the editor of Evaluation News (1983-1988), a publication of the American Evaluation Association, and served on panels at the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C., helping to vet grant applications.
As an instructor, Bean said, “the feedback that he gave to students was just remarkable — the feedback he gave to every page.” The pair collaborated on papers early on, following their marriage in 1983, and received a grant from Pittsburgh’s Catholic diocese to evaluate its program, Extra Mile, in local Catholic schools in the late 1990s.
Bean said her husband wrote his book long-hand: “That’s what I always thought was impressive.” He retired from Pitt nearly 15 years ago.
Eichelberger was also the academic and research advisor in the doctoral program for Gregory H. Turner, now retired as a faculty member and associate dean for faculty development at Florida State University. Recalling the work of both Eichelberger and Bean, Turner said that “their passion, disciplinary acumen, scholarship and dedication to make meaningful discoveries in the field of education, and especially their commitment to the holistic development of their students, continue to be an inspiration to me as a teacher, higher education administrator and scholar.”
“As a doctoral student, I observed and was able to work with them and their collaborative partnerships with individuals from many different groups and disciplines: state and federal governments, foundations, school districts and faculty from other universities, as well as with departments within the University of Pittsburgh,” he added.
He learned many lessons from them both, he said: “To get your message understood by others, less is more: simplify, simplify, simplify, then summarize and highlight your points … Looking ahead, focus on direction rather than solely the ultimate destination … To succeed in your doctoral studies, focus on the outcomes; to keep succeeding pay attention to the processes that lead to outcomes.”
Eichelberger, he said, “always empathized high expectations of his students and their individual achievements, progress, and excellence – along with demonstrating understanding, compassion and humor with them.
“Tony was a humble, humorous, wonderful person and a transformational teacher, mentor and friend,” he added. “He positively touched lives and mentored many students and faculty over the course of his long career.”
Born on April 15, 1940, in Pekin, Ill., Eichelberger earned his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University. He had gotten his undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois on a baseball scholarship and played minor league baseball.
Along with his wife, he is survived by children Erin and Derek (Barbara) Eichelberger; grandchildren Ethan, Ava and Dylan; sisters Jean (Whitson) McClain, Sally Caracheo and Alosia (Ron) Carlson; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts are suggested to the MSA Coalition (www.multiplesystematrophy.org/donate) or to the Rita Bean & Tony Eichelberger Endowed Fund at the University of Pittsburgh (http://giveto.pitt.edu/eichelberger), whose purpose is to study and promote equity in education, economic stability, and health.
— Marty Levine