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Principles, power and privilege: Approaches for evaluating cross-sector initiatives that advance racial equity 

12-10-2018 13:20

The pursuit for diversity, equity, and inclusion continues to challenge all of us as we seek to support social sector initiatives tackling pervasive, complex, and historically-entrenched issues such as institutional racism and equity in education, health, workforce and criminal justice systems.  How can evaluators contribute to this work? How can we embed equity and inclusion into our practice?  While there is no common definition or consistent understanding in the field about what equitable evaluation looks like, there are practices and principles to guide and infuse an equity lens into our approaches, methods and interpretation of data. This session shares two equity-focused initiatives funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and is designed to spark discussion about strategies for translating an “equity lens” into practice. We explore the use of principles-focused evaluation and how to both lift-up and learn from the practices and wisdom of those working on the front-lines of change.

Power, Privilege and Principles: Using Principles-Focused Evaluation to Support Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation
Home to nearly 10 million inhabitants, Los Angeles serves as laboratory for testing innovations in one of the most diverse metropolitan areas on the planet. In 2017, Los Angeles was selected as one of 14 communities funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to implement Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT), a framework designed to advance a shared agenda that eliminates institutionalized racism through narrative change, racial healing and relationship building and strategies addressing implicit bias in labor, education, health care and criminal justice systems. This case example explores how developmental and principles-focused evaluation supports a complex cross-sector effort, addressing challenges and specific approaches for lifting-up key insights and supporting listening, learning and engagement. It also explores how we can learn from racial healing practitioners, help bring clarity to planning and implementation, and support complex but necessary conversations that can be deeply personal and uncomfortable. Presenters share how they grapple with the questions raised in this year’s theme including our responsibilities as evaluators to employ methods that promote equity and inclusion, and ensure marginalized voices are authentically engaged and heard. Learning and evaluation is yet another opportunity for us to challenge ourselves, speak truth to power, and constantly demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. 
Toward Equity-Focused Policymaking: Using Evaluation to Support Principles-Focused Outcomes
In 2011, the National Caucus of State Legislatures launched The Quad Caucus: Working Together for Healing and Equity. This initiative, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, convened the four national caucuses of state legislators of color (Asian Pacific American, Black, Native American, and Hispanic to understand how racism impacts different communities of color and to develop a cross-racial consciousness that would ultimately influence the development of guiding principles for equity-focused policymaking. Now in its second iteration, the Quad Caucus initiative is focused on expanding its influence and continuing to deepen the learning of its participants while also adapting to changing contexts. In this case study, presenters highlight evaluation findings that demonstrate how the initiative served to clarify, deepen, and refine caucus members’ collective understanding of the influence of racism in policymaking and policy implementation and the extent to which the principles they developed in the first phase continue to shape their efforts moving forward. They will also share how their own principles that ground their culturally-sensitive approach to evaluation shaped the approach to this work, and, conversely, how their principles were strengthened by the work itself. 
• How can principles guide our approach to complex cross-sector and equity- focused initiatives? 
• What are specific approaches and tools for translating an equity lens into practice? 
• How can we engage key stakeholders in shared learning that involves complex discussion about power, racism, and privilege? 
• How can principles guide our approach to complex cross-sector and equity- focused initiatives? 
• What are specific approaches and tools for translating an equity lens into practice? 
• What are techniques and considerations for engaging stakeholders, particularly when content is complex, personal, and uncomfortable. 

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Approaches for evaluating cross-sector initiatives that ...   9.47 MB   1 version
Uploaded - 12-10-2018
Power, Privilege and Principles: Using Principles-Focused Evaluation to Support Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Home to nearly 10 million inhabitants, Los Angeles serves as laboratory for testing innovations in one of the most diverse metropolitan areas on the planet. In 2017, Los Angeles was selected as one of 14 communities funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to implement Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT), a framework designed to advance a shared agenda that eliminates institutionalized racism through narrative change, racial healing and relationship building and strategies addressing implicit bias in labor, education, health care and criminal justice systems. This case example explores how developmental and principles-focused evaluation supports a complex cross-sector effort, addressing challenges and specific approaches for lifting-up key insights and supporting listening, learning and engagement. It also explores how we can learn from racial healing practitioners, help bring clarity to planning and implementation, and support complex but necessary conversations that can be deeply personal and uncomfortable. Presenters share how they grapple with the questions raised in this year’s theme including our responsibilities as evaluators to employ methods that promote equity and inclusion, and ensure marginalized voices are authentically engaged and heard. Learning and evaluation is yet another opportunity for us to challenge ourselves, speak truth to power, and constantly demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Toward Equity-Focused Policymaking: Using Evaluation to Support Principles-Focused Outcomes In 2011, the National Caucus of State Legislatures launched The Quad Caucus: Working Together for Healing and Equity. This initiative, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, convened the four national caucuses of state legislators of color (Asian Pacific American, Black, Native American, and Hispanic to understand how racism impacts different communities of color and to develop a cross-racial consciousness that would ultimately influence the development of guiding principles for equity-focused policymaking. Now in its second iteration, the Quad Caucus initiative is focused on expanding its influence and continuing to deepen the learning of its participants while also adapting to changing contexts. In this case study, presenters highlight evaluation findings that demonstrate how the initiative served to clarify, deepen, and refine caucus members’ collective understanding of the influence of racism in policymaking and policy implementation and the extent to which the principles they developed in the first phase continue to shape their efforts moving forward. They will also share how their own principles that ground their culturally-sensitive approach to evaluation shaped the approach to this work, and, conversely, how their principles were strengthened by the work itself. • How can principles guide our approach to complex cross-sector and equity- focused initiatives? • What are specific approaches and tools for translating an equity lens into practice? • How can we engage key stakeholders in shared learning that involves complex discussion about power, racism, and privilege? • How can principles guide our approach to complex cross-sector and equity- focused initiatives? • What are specific approaches and tools for translating an equity lens into practice? • What are techniques and considerations for engaging stakeholders, particularly when content is complex, personal, and uncomfortable.
 
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