We are coordinators of the Strengthening Capacity for Equity in New England Collaborative (SCENE Collab), an initiative featured in this week’s posts:
- Emily Gates, assistant professor of evaluation at Boston College,
- Min Ma, MXM Research Group, president of the Greater Boston Evaluation Network (GBEN, an AEA affiliate), and
- Andrés Castro Samayoa, associate professor of education leadership at Boston College.
How did you become the evaluator you are today? What shapes your path?
Each of us got into evaluation through unique avenues. While it’s amazing to have such variety in paths, we see the need to build community. Professional associations (like AEA) provide spaces to network and learn, as do academic programs, courses, and workshops. Some of us also find community within our teams and workplaces. But we long for informal spaces to step out of our professional roles and talk honestly and openly about our practices. Spaces where we can connect, support, and push each other to interrogate assumptions and expand possibilities.
We formed the SCENE collaborative to collectively explore how applied research and evaluation can center social and environmental equity and justice. We connect evaluators and researchers, faculty, graduate students, and community organizations in New England. This week’s posts are led by colleagues within the initiative and feature ideas for centering equity across different levels of the evaluation ecosystem:
- Micro: Evaluators, Evaluation Teams, and Stakeholders
- Meso: Evaluation Contracts, Workplaces, Education, and Profession/Field
- Macro: Marketplace, Sociopolitical Context.
Lessons Learned
A few things we’ve been learning about cultivating a regional collaborative…
Lesson #1: Leverage Data to Understand Evaluators and Our Practices
Our initiative began with a landscape analysis to understand who practices evaluation within the region and the extent to which evaluators center equity in their work. This data was invaluable as it helped identify gaps and opportunities within this region. Our work also provides ideas for how others can study equity in evaluation: full mixed methods study, a visual summary report, and deep dive into socio-ecological factors influencing equity.
Lesson #2: It Takes Resources and Coordination to Grow Our Field
A shout out to Yvonne Belanger and Rory Neuner of The Barr Foundation who provided us with two grants: one for the landscape analysis and another for our current capacity building work. We need funders to invest in evaluators’ professional learning for our collective benefit. This work takes coordination, time, and energy that should be compensated and valued within our organizations and professional community.
Lesson #3: Virtual and Visual Ways of Connecting Across Geography
The initial excitement of creating this collaborative sparked ideas for bringing people together, but it has been an ongoing challenge to find ways that stick and work well for all of us. We began with email updates, Slack workspace, online events using Zoom and Miro, social systems mapping, and small group collaborations. This year we are honing in on relationship building using lighter lift through informal strategies like meals and conversations.
Rad Resources
- To assess and/or embed cultural responsiveness and equity within evaluation practices:
- First assessment of culturally responsive evaluation in Wisconsin
- Social Equity Assessment Tool developed by Khalil Bitar
- Data Equity Deck: 52 cards to inspire deep reflection and conversation about data, evaluation, and equity (developed by Min Ma and team)
- To influence equity within the evaluation ecosystem:
- Luminare Group Report on Evaluator Pipeline to Evaluation Ecosystem
- Why is Evaluation So White? Presentation by Vidhya Shanker and Carolina De La Rosa Mateo
Get Involved
If you’d like to join our network, here’s a link to sign up and our website with more info.
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