Hello, I’m Blanca Flor Guillen-Woods, Managing Partner at Strategic Learning Partners for Innovation (SLP4i), a social innovation and evaluation firm led by evaluators of color. I have conducted a variety of mixed-methods evaluations related to education, youth services, civic engagement, health, and intervention programs for over 25 years. Through a collaborative approach, my work at SLP4i supports programs and funders in clarifying contexts, desired outcomes, and impacts, identifying levers of change, and implementing strategic plans driven by community voice.
Often, evaluations are led by researchers, not community members, and the work has limited impact because community voice and perspectives are not included in the process. I believe that social change requires strong partnerships and collaborative methods to ensure that a variety of perspectives are intentionally included, especially the voices of those most directly impacted by the work.
Rad Resource
To help ground this work, I often use an interactive evaluation tool, the Eval Matrix© developed in partnership with Katrina Bledsoe and Felisa Gonzales. This tool describes seven culturally responsive and equity-focused evaluation philosophies as well as the key principles shared across these approaches.
Hot Tip #1: Be clear on the values and principles guiding the evaluation
I find it helpful to identify the values and principles central to evaluation projects to ensure the team is accountable to these principles. The Eval Matrix highlights the following seven key principles shared across culturally responsive and equity-focused evaluations. Which key principles do you incorporate into your work?
- Promotion of equity and social justice; attention to issues of power
- Engagement of partners and community members, particularly those with less social power, during all phases of the evaluation
- Composition of evaluation team and reflection on assumptions and biases
- Consideration of cultural and historical contexts and different worldviews
- Intentional methods and thoughtful data collection
- Intentional analysis and inclusive interpretation
- Accessible and actionable evaluation findings
Hot Tip #2: Identify your primary area of focus to
Understanding where change is expected in the evaluation helps focus evaluation activities. The matrix helps evaluators identify the primary level of change.
Individual Level: Emphasizes diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence
- Evaluation activities consider diversity and inclusion of individual team members, including engaging those most impacted by the program.
Interpersonal Level: Emphasizes the use of equitable processes
- Evaluation activities emphasize equitable processes such as attention to power dynamics and inclusion of those most impacted.
Structural Level: Focuses on equitable outcomes
- Evaluation activities address structural factors including historical and cultural context, use of disaggregated data, and promoting equitable outcomes.
Hot Tip #3: Identify the evaluation approach best suited for your project
By identifying the key principles and focus areas of the evaluation, it becomes easier to identify the most appropriate evaluation approach, such as:
- Culturally Competent Evaluation: Leading with self-reflection and cultural competence
- Culturally Responsive Evaluation: Centering culture in evaluations by including community members and evaluators with direct lived experience
- Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation: Aiming for equity through culturally responsive approaches
- Culturally Responsive Indigenous Evaluation: Striving for sovereignty and self-determination
- Empowerment Evaluation: Empowering communities with tools used for self-determination
- Equity-focused Evaluations: Conceptualizing, conducting, and using evaluation in service of equity
- Transformative Evaluation: Fighting for human rights and social justice using mixed methods
Rad Resources
- Bledsoe, K., Gonzales, F., & Guillen-Woods, B*. (2022). The Eval Matrix™. Strategic Learning Partners for Innovation https://slp4i.com/the-eval-matrix.
- Aponte-Soto, L., Casillas, W., Ali, A., Maldonado, S. I., & López-Cevallos, D. F. (Eds.). (2024). Perspectives on practicing culturally responsive and equitable evaluation with Latina/o/e communities [Special issue]. New Directions for Evaluation, 2024(181). Wiley Online Library
- Adedoyin, A. C., Amutah-Onukagha, N. N., & Jones, C. D. (Eds.). (2023). Culturally responsive and equitable evaluation: Visions and voices of emerging scholars. Cognella Academic Publishing.
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