Centering Equity in Evaluation
Welcome to the November 2022 edition of the Improved Insights Newsletter: a newsletter for folks in informal STEM learning spaces who want to learn more about how to measure and communicate the impacts of their work.
I’m Sarah M. Dunifon - a long-time STEM educator, evaluator, and equity advocate. After spending time working in museums, nonprofits, and higher education, I now work on cutting-edge informal STEM learning research and evaluation with my team at Improved Insights. We specialize in informal STEM learning and youth programs.
This monthly newsletter includes tips, resources, and news on informal STEM learning evaluation. We hope you find it valuable! Now, let’s get started —
Centering Equity in Evaluation
Earlier this week, I was inspired by one of my favorite podcasts, The Ethical Rainmaker, and decided to let that inspiration guide me for this piece. In this post, we will review the Equitable Evaluation Framework™ and how it helps to center equity in evaluation practices.
To read the full article, check it out in our Insights. In the meantime, here’s a taste:
The podcast episode of The Ethical Rainmaker, entitled “Are we even evaluating what matters? ft. Dr. Marcia Coné,” addressed the Equitable Evaluation Framework™ (EEF) and issues of inequity in evaluation, and nonprofit-foundation relationships. Hosted by Freedom Conspiracy Principal and Community-Centric Fundraising co-chair Michelle Shireen Muri in conversation with consultant, change strategist, and Director of Practice Engagement and Evolution at EEF, Dr. Marcia Coné, the episode addressed topics like:
The unidirectional power dynamic between foundations and nonprofits where foundations set the evaluation expectations for their grantees
How funding rarely addresses the additional evaluation efforts grantees are expected to put forth to “prove” to the funder that their work is valuable
How the influx of money in the tech space may influence what metrics nonprofits are asked to track…even to the detriment of their work
Why outputs and short-term outcomes alone cannot tell the full story of impact
It’s truly an excellent look into many of the competing priorities of nonprofits and foundations, as well as the challenges evaluators are facing in our sector today.
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Within the landscape of informal STEM education, funders often dictate evaluative criteria, such as what “success” looks like for their grantees, or what types of knowledge can be meaningful indicators of this success. Without a participatory or equity-focused approach, these evaluative criteria may be rooted in the values held by the funders, rather than the organizations or communities.
According to the EEI Theory of Change, one marker of change for “shifting the paradigm” is that - among Evaluators and Consultants - “there is a willingness to imagine different ways to evaluate and expand and evolve definitions of validity, rigor, and objectivity.” This concept of reexamining what makes “good data” is a hot topic in our space.
ii Updates
After two years of serving as a Data Literacy group moderator for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) eePRO (an environmental education professional development), I’ve stepped down from my role amongst a reorganization and redesign of their platform.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking with other data literacy enthusiasts and look forward to seeing the next iteration of the eePRO program!
60-Second Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite things this month, usually pertaining to informal STEM education and evaluation, but occasionally some fun personal stuff, too.
Techbridge Girls Equity Cohort, through the STEM Equity Learning Community, is hosting an intensive training to equip OST program managers to create OST STEM spaces for all youth, and develop STEM equity action steps for their OST program. The program aims to explore the utilization of asset-based frameworks and practices. Each selected participant will receive a $1500 stipend to participate. The application deadline is December 1st, 2022, so apply fast!
This newsletter considers how humans might take notes from our animal peers on how to alter our rates of production as the year - at least in the northern hemisphere - gets cold and grey. It’s got me thinking about energy flow and conservation throughout the year and about biomimicry (or how we can learn from nature for our own advancements).
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has created a unique opportunity to encourage and enhance high school student engagement in education research. The Youth Teams in Education Research (YTER) Special Program will bring teams of talented high school students to the 2023 AERA Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 13-15, to present their work, develop their skills, network with peers, and foster their interest in the field. Up to 10 teams of high school students will be competitively selected to participate in the YTER Special Initiative. The application deadline is December 6th, 2022.
As we head into the last month of the year, I encourage you to rest and scale down your to-do list for the end of the year. It can be so tempting to go into “just one more sprint” to get work done before the new year, but in our current Q4, rest and rejuvenation are equally - if not more important.
Until next time - thanks!