Hello! My name is Dr. Ashley S Love. I have spent over two decades exploring the intersection of public health, education, leadership, and innovation. Throughout my journey, I have seen evaluation serve as a powerful tool to improve programs, inform decisions, and address systemic inequities. As a proud member of LEEAD (Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity) Cohort 5, I understand firsthand how embedding equity and diversity in evaluation can drive meaningful and transformative change.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s newly updated Program Evaluation Framework represents a long-overdue leap forward since its original release in 1999. By prioritizing equity, collaboration, and adaptability, this framework aligns evaluation with the demands of today’s challenges. While it is an exciting step, it also signals opportunities for continued progress and innovation in the field.
Lessons Learned
Lesson 1: Equity is Central to Transformative Evaluation
The updated framework’s focus on equity ensures that evaluation directly addresses systemic inequities and amplifies underrepresented voices. This emphasis aligns with initiatives like LEEAD, which work to diversify the evaluation workforce and promote inclusive practices. Embedding equity into evaluations—such as engaging communities as co-creators—ensures that outcomes are relevant, actionable, and just. Equity is not just an aspiration; it is a commitment to ensuring evaluation serves everyone.
Lesson 2: Collaboration Elevates Impact
The framework’s call for collaboration reflects the reality that evaluation is most effective when it is inclusive and participatory. This aligns with Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation (CREE) principles, which emphasize authentic relationships with stakeholders. In one public health initiative, involving educators, policymakers, and community leaders early in the process uncovered barriers that might otherwise have been overlooked. Their contributions strengthened the evaluation and ensured the solutions were tailored to the community’s unique needs. Collaboration fosters trust and produces results that resonate across diverse audiences.
Lesson 3: Continuous Learning Drives Relevance
The CDC’s focus on continuous learning and adaptation acknowledges that systems are dynamic and evaluations must evolve alongside them. In my experience, incorporating real-time feedback loops has allowed evaluations to remain relevant and responsive, enabling mid-course adjustments that improve outcomes. This shift from static to adaptive evaluation practices is an exciting leap forward, though further exploration of innovative tools and methodologies will enhance this adaptability even more.
Lesson 4: Frameworks Simplify Complexity
The six-step CDC framework—from assessing context to acting on findings—offers a structured yet flexible roadmap for tackling complex challenges. Frameworks like this provide clarity for evaluators navigating multi-faceted systems, ensuring processes are rigorous and actionable. While this update is a major advancement, it also invites us to ask how frameworks can continue to evolve to meet the demands of an increasingly interconnected and dynamic world.
Final Reflections
The CDC’s updated Program Evaluation Framework is a long-overdue and welcome leap forward, reflecting a commitment to equity, collaboration, and adaptability. It equips evaluators with the tools to address systemic inequities and build evaluations that empower communities and inform meaningful change. At the same time, this progress reminds us that the work is far from done. The field of evaluation must continue to push boundaries, innovate, and expand its practices to meet future challenges.
For those eager to learn more, I encourage you to review the updated framework (CDC Report) and explore the transformative work of LEEAD in advancing diversity and equity in evaluation. Evaluation is not just about measuring outcomes—it is about creating systems that empower and uplift everyone. This framework is an important leap, but it is only the beginning. Together, we can ensure evaluation drives lasting, meaningful change in the systems.
This week’s contributions come from members of AEA’s Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) program. 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. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.