Young and emerging African evaluators’ need for gender responsive evaluation training

Background: The Global Evaluation Agenda 2020 calls for evaluation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within an equity-focused and gender-responsive lens. Most of the methodologies and materials come from the Global North. However, gender issues and evaluation capacity in the Global North do not necessarily match with those in the Global South. The Global South has rich experiences related to equity and gender. An important group to target to build capacity is young and emerging evaluators (YEEs).Objectives: This study investigated the gender responsive evaluation training experiences and needs of YEEs in Africa.Method: A total of 72 respondents completed an online survey that was administered over a 7-day period. The quantitative survey was self-administered in French and English, and was distributed through existing Voluntary Organisation for Professional Evaluation (VOPEs) and youth evaluators forums.Results: Respondents were from 23 African countries. Most of the respondents were YEEs, although many of the respondents did not self-identify as an YEE. One-third of respondents have participated in training programmes on gender responsive evaluation or a gender focus on evaluation. Virtual trainings have not been used. Topics included evaluating gender focussed interventions and gender responsive aspects of evaluation studies in general (including applying gender perspective to all types of policies, and participatory approaches to ensure gender equity).Conclusion: This study has practical value for training and mentoring of YEEs in gender focused evaluations in Africa. It will contribute to efforts of the South-to-South project and global efforts that ensure that ‘no one is left behind’ from a gender lens.

Empowering Indigenous Communities Through a Participatory, Culturally Responsive Evaluation of a Federal Program for Older Americans

This article describes our experience of conducting a 5-year, culturally responsive evaluation of a federal program with Indigenous communities. It describes how we adapted tenets from “participatory evaluation models” to ensure cultural relevance and empowerment. We provide recommendations for evaluators engaged in similar efforts. The evaluation included stakeholder engagement through a Steering Committee and an Evaluation Working Group in designing and implementing the evaluation. That engagement facilitated attention to Indigenous cultural values in developing a program logic model and medicine wheel and in gathering local perspectives through storytelling to facilitate understanding of community traditions. Our ongoing assessment of program grantees’ needs shaped our approach to evaluation capacity building and development of a diverse array of experiential learning opportunities and user-friendly tools and resources. We present practical strategies from lessons learned during the evaluation design and implementation phases of our project that might be useful for other evaluators.

Conceptualizing and Fostering the Quality of CES Through a Dutch National Network on CES (NEON)

The prevalence of Clinical ethics support (CES) services is increasing. Yet, questions about what quality of CES entails and how to foster the quality of CES remain. This paper describes the development of a national network (NEON), which aimed to conceptualize and foster the quality of CES in the Netherlands simultaneously. Our methodology was inspired by a responsive evaluation approach which shares some of our key theoretical presuppositions of CES. A responsive evaluation methodology engages stakeholders in developing quality standards of a certain practice, instead of evaluating a practice by predefined standards. In this paper, we describe the relationship between our theoretical viewpoint on CES and a responsive evaluation methodology. Then we describe the development of the network (NEON) and focus on three activities that exemplify our approach. In the discussion, we reflect on the similarities and differences between our approach and other international initiatives focusing on the quality of CES.

Ewaluacje konstruktywistyczne. Implikacje dla wczesnej edukacji

The aim of this paper is to analyze the possibilities of using evaluation models – developed within the constructivist paradigm – in early education. The author’s field of interest included responsive evaluation, dialogic evaluation, deliberative democratic evaluation, participatory evaluation, empowerment evaluation and stakeholder-based evaluation. Responsive and dialogical evaluation have been found to be particularly useful in early education. The scope of in-depth analyzes is aimed to present the specificity of responsive dialogical evaluations compared to other constructivist models and their distinctiveness from neoliberal evaluations and those subordinated to the gold standard ideology. The content of the second part of the paper is devoted to analyze the problems of designing, planning and conducting programs implemented in early education.

Exploring empowerment of participants and peer workers in a self- managed homeless shelter

Summary Self-managed shelters claim that participants who have been homeless are better able to run a shelter than regular providers. Little research has investigated self-managed shelters. In this article, we have described the experiences of participants and peer workers with empowerment processes in Je Eigen Stek (Your own place, JES), a self-managed shelter, based on an eight-year qualitative responsive evaluation. Findings We distinguish three clusters of individual experiences: (1) enthusiastic, (2) moderate to critical, and (3) negative, respectively, associated with decreasing engagement with social life in and management of JES. Those not engaged can still benefit materially and from the freedom of choice JES offers, which is generally appreciated. Empowerment provides a useful framework and JES in turn offers new insights into the dialectical nature of empowerment. Empowerment consists of freedom of choice and capacity development and neither should be emphasized over the other. The emphasis in JES is on freedom of choice, which does not automatically lead to developing capacities. Social workers try to balance both aspects of empowerment. Applications Our analysis shows how offering freedom of choice can contribute to empowerment, although social workers need to be aware that participants might opt not to work on capacity development.

Leadership for evaluations responsive to disability and culture

PurposeThe intent of this article is to broaden one’s understanding of program evaluation methods that are responsive to disability and take into account various approaches to leadership within a special education context. Program evaluations for special education have often been relegated to compliance reviews and results-driven accountability measures. By promoting approaches to leadership that embrace responsive evaluation approaches and are inclusive of stakeholders from often disenfranchised groups, findings may emerge that otherwise might not be visible with traditional approaches.Design/methodology/approachA synthesis of the evaluation literature from leading journals, books and edited volumes is used to capture salient concepts necessary for understanding the degree to which evaluation and approaches respond to disability and culture. Additionally, the literature on leadership approaches is summarized and presented for the purpose of demonstrating how situational and transitional approaches to leadership may enhance the selection and use of evaluation approaches that are inclusive of and responsive to disability and culture.FindingsFrom this analysis emerged four over-arching approaches to evaluation, each varying in degree of responsiveness to disability and culture. Further, when examining how evaluation interfaces with leadership, some approaches were found to be better aligned with particular evaluation processes and differed in responsiveness to disability and culture.Research limitations/implicationsTo date, little research has been conducted on the interface between leadership and evaluation approaches or on the degree to which leaders' implementation of responsive evaluation approaches results in improved outcomes for students with disabilities and those from underrepresented backgrounds. This article provides a conceptual framework for future research examining the degree to which one’s assumptions about the interface between leadership and responsive evaluation approaches can be demonstrated empirically.Practical implicationsFour recommendations are provided for leaders: the need to employ multiple evaluation methods that align their purposes, questions and methods; the need to recognize the possibilities and limits of evaluation approaches in light of their responsiveness to disability and culture; the utility of situational and transitional approaches to leadership in the evaluation process; and the critical importance of including stakeholders from diverse backgrounds in the evaluation process.Originality/valueVaried approaches to evaluation in educational settings have been extensively studied and discussed. However, few articles have examined the responsiveness of evaluations to the unique conditions that disability and cultural differences represent. The contribution of this article offers a situated synthesis of approaches to evaluation, specifically contextualized within a leadership framework, to better understand how evaluation approaches impact those with disabilities and cultural differences and the inclusion of broad groups of stakeholders. As such, this article lays the foundation for a comparative international conversation exploring how evaluation and leadership approaches responsively interface with disability and culture through inclusion and enfranchisement of stakeholders.

THE ORGANIZATION OF MADRASAH ALIYAH IN ACEH REFORM ERA

<p><strong>Abstract:</strong> The Organization of Madrasah Aliyah in Aceh. The main problem in this research is the implementation of madrasa aliyah in the reform era in Aceh. In terms of regulation, Madrasa aliyah in Aceh received an equivalent recognition from schools. Whereas when other regions take a lot of positions to prioritize schools, Aceh with its regulatory power should be able to perform more optimally compared to other regions in the archipelago. Seeing this, it is certainly a challenge for Aceh when it must pay attention to madrassas which in regulations in some regions consider it not their authority. The purpose of this study was to determine the conditions and problems of madrasa aliyah, and their policies and impacts. This research is qualitative research with a responsive evaluation approach. After analysis, it was found that the Aceh government still marginalized the Madrasah Aliyah educational institutions, although several regulations allowed Acehnese to do more. This is of course because the Province of Aceh is a special autonomous region that needs special attention based on the legal principle of lex specialis derogat legi generalis.</p><p><strong>Abstrak:</strong> Permasalahan utama dalam penelitian ini adalah implementasi madrasah aliyah pada era reformasi di Aceh. Dari segi regulasi, Madrasah aliyah di Aceh mendapat pengakuan setara dari sekolah. Padahal ketika daerah lain banyak mengambil posisi untuk memprioritaskan sekolah, Aceh dengan kekuatan regulasi yang dimilikinya harus bisa tampil lebih maksimal dibandingkan daerah lain di nusantara. Melihat hal tersebut tentunya menjadi tantangan tersendiri bagi Aceh ketika harus memperhatikan madrasah yang dalam regulasi di beberapa daerah menganggapnya bukan kewenang-annya. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui kondisi dan permasalahan Madrasah Aliyah serta kebijakan dan dampaknya. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan evaluasi responsif. Setelah dilakukan analisis, ditemukan bahwa pemerintah Aceh masih memarjinalkan lembaga pendidikan Madrasah Aliyah, meski ada beberapa regulasi yang memberi peluang bagi masyarakat Aceh untuk berbuat lebih. Hal ini tentunya karena Provinsi Aceh merupakan daerah otonom khusus yang memerlukan perhatian khusus berdasarkan asas hukum lex specialis derogat legi generalis.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Madrasah Aliyah, special autonomy, policy, Aceh</p>

Talking Circles: A Culturally Responsive Evaluation Practice

Talking Circles are safe spaces where relationships are built, nurtured, reinforced, and sometimes healed; where norms and values are established; and where people connect intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally with other members of the Circle. The Circle can also be an evaluation method that increases voice, decreases invisibility, and does not privilege one worldview or version of reality over another. The purpose of this article is to describe how the Circle can be a culturally responsive evaluation practice for those evaluators wishing to build relationships, share power, elicit stakeholder voice, solve problems, and increase participants’ capacity for program design, implementation, and evaluation. Circles can be used by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous evaluators. By offering the global evaluation community this concrete, practical, and culturally responsive approach, we open the door so that others can build on this work and offer additional insights as this practice is used, refined, and documented.