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Who Am I as an Evaluator?

Centering AntiRacism in Evaluative Practice

November 11, 2021

Think Tank on Positionality

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Lazarius Miller

(he/him/his)

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Residence Hall Director

University of Florida

Hannah Patterson

(she/her/hers)

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Evaluation Manager

Camp Fire National

Olivia Szendey

(she/her/hers)

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PhD Candidate (MESA)

Boston College

Lori Special

(she/her/hers)

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Library Development Director

Colorado State Library

Ph.D. student

UNC Greensboro

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    • Define Positionality
    • Positionality: Brain Dump
    • Positionality: In the context of evaluation
    • Positionality: As it changes within a given context
    • Conclusion & Next Steps

Materials: Resouce handout

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Overview of Today’s Session

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Who Am I as an Evaluator?

Centering AntiRacism in Evaluative Practice

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Land & Labor

Acknowledgment

We acknowledge the legacy of slavery and the enslaved African people whose labor was exploited for generations to help establish the economy of the United States. We acknowledge the harm that colonialism and white supremacy have brought to these lands, in particular the erasure of both First American and African identities. By recognizing the land that was taken from First Americans and the forced labor that was provided by enslaved Africans and black people, we hold space to acknowledge that the foundation of our country, the United States of America, and the roots that it created in order to grow and thrive, are based in colonialism, racism, and indignity. It is only by recognizing and understanding these errors that were made during our nation’s origins that we can hope to correct our path. (Mid-America Arts Alliance)

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We hold space to remember the brutality of slavery and colonization and the people who were held captive and erased by its oppression. We remember their love, their laughter, their childhoods, their mother and fatherhoods. We remember their dreams, their desires, their joys, their sorrows, their anger, their grief. We remember their wholeness, their full humanness.

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    • An Individual’s worldview comes from beliefs about social reality, beliefs about nature and knowledge and assumptions about how we interact and relate to our environment (Sikes, 2004, Bahari, 2010, Scotland, 2012, Ormston, et al. 2014, Marsh, et al. 2018 and Grix, 2019)
    • ...Which is all colored by an individual’s values and beliefs that are shaped by their political allegiance, religious faith, gender, sexuality, historical and geographical location, ethnicity, race, social class, and status, (dis) abilities, etc. (Sikes, 2004, Wellington, et al. 2005)

--Equitable Evaluation Initiative (Dean-Coffey)

Positionality

Positionality describes an individual’s world view and the position they adopt about a research task and its social and political context.

(Foote & Bartell 2011, Savin-Baden & Major, 2013 and Rowe, 2014)

When we walk into a space as an evaluator… who are we?

What does it mean to be equitable, responsive and inclusive?

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Positionality Brain Dump

Spend the next 10 minutes drafting your own positionality statements:

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    • This can be bullet pointed lists or structured sentences
    • Work in breakout rooms and talk through your thoughts and ideas

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There are positionally examples in the Resource Handout to get you started!

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Positionality

In the context of evaluation

Spend the next 10 minutes discussing:

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    • What does it mean to be equitable, responsive, and inclusive when working with clients or programs?

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Positionality

As it changes within

a given context

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Spend the next 10 minutes discussing:

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    • Should we as evaluators modify or adjust our positionality to match the contexts of the clients and projects we’re working on?

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Moving forward...

    • As we leave this space, what are other things positionality can be useful for?
      • Accountability
      • Funders
      • MOUs
      • Internal evaluators

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What else can it be useful for?

When can it be used?

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Resources

How will you use positionality statements in your evaluation work?

    • Use this jamboard over the next week to share your thoughts

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    • Join our conversations: Join the google group for the GSNE antiracist evaluation & social change journal club!
      • Contact szendey@bc.edu for more information

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    • Access our resources handout

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Thank you!