LaRED TIG Week: Deepening our ability to understand our Latinx communities and our culturally responsive approaches by Grisel M. Robles-Schrader, Susana Morales and David Garcia

(Spanish version)

?Saludos! We are Grisel M. Robles-Schrader, Susana Morales and David Garcia from the Latinx Responsive Evaluation Discourse (La RED) Topical Interest Group (TIG). We are excited to be kicking off this AEA365 week in advance of Hispanic/Latino/Latinx heritage month which begins mid-September.

To center Latinx voices in evaluation, one must first recognize that the Latinx community represents a diversity of histories, cultures, languages and dialects, and traditions. From there, utilizing stakeholder engagement practices can help evaluators develop culturally and linguistically appropriate evaluation designs, data collection tools and dissemination approaches.

La RED TIG members have much to share this week to support a deeper understanding of the Latinx communities you may be interested in working with and culturally responsive approaches that will support your evaluation goals. This week’s blogs focus on considerations and approaches:

·       responding to the impact of COVID-19 in the Latinx community

·       assisting Latinx families meeting their financial goals

·       supporting Latinx student outcomes and academic achievement

·       engaging in evaluation internships, and

• Learn basic concepts and strategies in community engaged research—National Institutes of Health. Principles of Community Engagement. Second Edition.
• Develop culturally and linguistically appropriate services within your organizationwith guidance from theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Minority Health,Blueprint on National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Service (CLAS) Standards is an implementation guide to help you.

·       creating an organizational culture of engagement in evaluation.

To model our commitment to culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches, this week’s submission are available in Spanish.

Rad Resources:

• Create an evaluation plan for those CLAS standards by checking out Williams, etc. al Evaluation of the National CLAS Standards: Tips and Resources

• Examine nine fundamental aspects of power that negatively impact community-academic research and evaluation partnerships and project outcomes by discussingChicago Beyond’sWhy am I always being researched? Equity Series Volume 1, with partners and funders.
• Build your network of allies and mentors by attending Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) events and conferences.

• Jointhe Latinx Responsive Evaluation Discourse (La RED) TIG monthly dialogues centered on culturally and linguistically responsive evaluation practices, community and stakeholder engagement, and redirecting our efforts to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and increasing awareness of how racial inequities impact the communities we serve. Add La RED to your TIG list when you log onto AEA’s website or email lared.tig@gmail.com.

The American Evaluation Association is celebrating Latinx Responsive Evaluation Discourse TIG Week. The contributions all this week to aea365 come from LA RED Topical Interest Group members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.