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Decolonization in Evaluation Week: Becoming an Evaluation Accomplice by Using Critical Indigenous Theories By Christopher Hall

Greetings! I am Christopher Hall, MSW, PhD, Assistant Professor of Human Services Administration and Delivery at the University of North Georgia. In 1999, I was introduced to intersectionality and critical theory when I attended my first statewide conference and a workshop on the topic. Since then, I have developed my work around various methods of …

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Decolonization in Evaluation Week: Articulating Our Values as a Path to Decolonization by Andrea Nelson Trice

We measure what we value. This is not news. But do we recognize what Americans commonly value?

My name is Andrea Nelson Trice, PhD, and I’m the president of Catalyst Research LLC.  I spent part of my childhood living in the Peruvian rainforest and that experience still shapes my work. I have conducted research on cross-cultural power dynamics for more than two decades. My most recent publication, Strong Together: Building Partnerships across Cultures in an Age of Distrust, draws from 90 interviews with American and Majority World leaders. Together we explore the human complexities of international development work.

Decolonization in Evaluation Week: Dismantling the White Gaze in Program Evaluation by Shama Dossa & Sadaf Shallwani

Hello everyone! We are Shama Dossa and Sadaf Shallwani, hybrid Global South/North women of colour who have been working in research and evaluation in the fields of global development and philanthropy for the last couple of decades. Shama is the Feminist Manager for Learning and Evaluation at Fenomenal Funds, and Sadaf is the Director of …

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Decolonization in Evaluation Week: Social Change Happens from the Inside/Out by Rita Fierro

Hi! I’m Dr. Rita Sinorita Fierro from Fierro Consulting, LLC. I started the firm in 2008 and ever since then, I’ve had the honor of having several organizational development professionals as friends and colleagues. Three of them were Black women. Their unique understanding of the interplay of systemic racism and leadership culture in organizations shifted …

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The Case For A Shared Outcomes Measurement Framework for DEI Initiatives by Quisha Brown

Hi, I’m Quisha Brown, co-founder of Humanistic Care, LLC, an organization offering culturally responsive solutions to tough evaluation challenges. A recent AEA365 blog post titled “Applying Rubrics in Evaluation” by Gerard Atkinson caught my attention with its discussion on the benefits of using rubrics in evaluation. The Progressive Outcomes Scale Logic Model (POSLM) framework I developed in 2020 is one such evaluation model which uses a stage model rubric approach to measure outcomes towards social impact progressively using a common set of indicators. During my 20+ years working with nonprofits serving marginalized communities and 3 years helping them to create POSLMs, I’ve compiled over 200+ common person-centered equity indicators which derived from direct feedback shared with me by people most impacted by inequitable practices.

Reassessing and Reshaping our Research Study in Uncertain Times by Will Fisher and Jenny Seelig

Howdy AEA 365, it’s Will Fisher and Jenny Seelig, Research Scientists with NORC at the University of Chicago. NORC is devoted to objective and dynamic social science research.

As originally planned, our study,Engaging Youth for Positive Change (EYPC): Promoting Community Health Through Civic Education, was a randomized controlled trial carefully designed to evaluate the impact the EYPC’s[i] civics curriculum has on student health and community well-being in rural Illinois. It was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2019 and scheduled to take place from 2020 to 2023. By Spring 2020, we had recruited 18 schools and 18 teachers into control and treatment groups and expected to steadfastly proceed. However, no one could have predicted the circuitous path our research would take.

Can Evaluation Help Make Bureaucracy More Responsive – or is it Part of the Problem? by Burt Perrin

Hi, I’m Burt Perrin, and I’d like you think about bureaucracy – its strengths, weaknesses, and what this means for evaluation.

Bureaucracy is complex. It is essential to democracy – while at the same time presenting many challenges. Evaluation has the potential to aid bureaucracies in being more responsive and effective – but also with the potential to acerbate the situation.

R Without Statistics by David Keyes

I’m David Keyes and I run R for the Rest of Us. Over the years, I’ve helped hundreds of people learn R through courses and trainings. For a long time, I felt like I wasn’t a “real” R user. Real R users, in my mind, used R for hardcore stats. I “only” used R for descriptive stats. I sometimes felt like I was using a souped up sports car to drive 20 miles an hour to the grocery store. Eventually, I realized that this framing misses the point. R started out as a tool created by statisticians for other statisticians. But, over a quarter century since its creation, R is as much a tool to improve your workflow as it is a tool for statistics. 

A Rapid Cycle Evaluation Approach: Implementing Micro Steps for Program Improvement by Elena Pinzon O’Quinn

Hi, my name is Elena Pinzon O’Quinn, and I am the National Learning and Evaluation Director at LIFT, an economic mobility nonprofit. Back in December 2021, I shared my tips for building a culture of data for decision making in nonprofits, which covered simple and efficient ways to share data. But getting data into stakeholders’ hands is just one piece of the puzzle in continuous improvement and learning. With efficient client data management systems and real-time dashboards, program teams often have near-constant access to data. At LIFT, we have had a strong track record of using data in strategic and long-term planning but struggled with how to use data on a more regular basis to understand program performance and integrate timely data-informed program improvements.