Empirical studies of evaluation are indispensable because they not only can facilitate a better understanding of diverse evaluation designs and processes but also investigate the social meaning and consequences of evaluation. The use of ethnography for studying large-scale monitoring and evaluation (M&E) efforts has not been substantially explored in evaluation literature. Furthermore, research on evaluation conducted in non-Western contexts is comparatively less common. In this presentation, the use of ethnography for investigating large-scale M&E efforts is examined by drawing on a multi-state ethnographic study of a groundbreaking evaluation of India’s education system.This research on evaluation concludes that ethnography can be employed to study the history, philosophy, development, and goals of M&E efforts. In addition, ethnographic methods enable researchers to examine M&E methodological design, participatory structure, implementation in the field, and immediate influence on participants. Finally, ethnography positions evaluation researchers to engage with evaluation theory in novel ways.