What are the characteristics of a participatory approach to measuring the impact of education projects and programmes? Who should be involved in the process? What types of information are required? And how can sustainability be ensured? This collection of papers presented at the Forum on Impact Studies in organised by the Education Department of DFID in 1998 deal with these questions drawing on experiences in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Participation of stakeholders is considered essential to a successful assessment and sustainability can be enhanced through working in partnership with local teachers, students or researchers.