Program Details
Evaluation Pathways Initiative: Fostering Equity in the Field Evaluation
What is The Evaluation Pathways Initiative?
Evaluation Pathways Initiative (PI) is a program designed to strengthen the diversity of the Chicago area evaluation field by increasing the recruitment, retention and training of culturally responsive and equity-focused evaluators of color in the Chicago region.
What is the Emerging Evaluator Program?
The Emerging Evaluators program provides training and support to emerging evaluators of color – individuals who are providing evaluation and data support to organizations, but have not received formal training as evaluators, or who have only received minimal training. Pathways welcomes participants from a variety of settings including public health, education, community organizing, and human and social services.
What does the Emerging Evaluator Program Include?
The program includes the following evaluation topics: culturally responsive evaluation, community engagement, and evaluation methods and analysis. A major thrust of the training is the use of culturally responsive evaluation to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Emerging Evaluator Program includes three components:
1. Evaluation Workshop Series – Six 3-hour sessions. This series will be taught by local university faculty and/or seasoned evaluators. This series will focus on further developing participants’ knowledge of the field, multiple conceptualizations of evaluation, social and political contexts of evaluation practice, and participants’ skills in using evaluation to support their organizations and promote justice and equity. The first session will be held in person from 9 AM to 12 PM. Sessions 2 through 6 will be held virtually from 9 AM to 12 PM. The workshop topics are as follows:
Workshop 1 - Introduction to culturally responsive evaluation
Workshop 2 - Foundations of evaluation practice
Workshop 3 - Qualitative data analysis and interpretation
Workshop 4 - Quantitative data analysis and interpretation
Workshop 5 - Community Engagement in evaluation
Workshop 6 - Utilization Focused Evaluation
2. Evaluation Expert Panel - In addition to the six workshops, participants will attend a seventh session that will feature a panel of experts holding positions in public and private sectors. This session will be held on.
3. OPTIONAL: Applied Evaluation Project with Guided Coaching – Following the evaluation training workshop series, participants who wish to earn an evluation certification will need to complee an evaluation project that is of interest to them and/or their organizations. Participants will work one-on-one with a seasoned evaluator for two months to guide them through this process. Participants must attend five of the six 3-hour evaluation learning sessions to be eligible for project-based coaching. Participants will then need to deliver their final presentations at the graduation ceremony. Participants will receive their program certificates after delivering their final evaluation project presentations and program reflections.
Who is Eligible to Apply to the PI Emerging Evaluator Program?
Eligibility – The application is open to evaluators of color who reflect the full scope of the Chicago region’s diversity including but not limited to individuals who identify as: African American/Black; Latina/o/x/e; American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian American; Middle Eastern or North African; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; and/or multi-racial (ALANA). In addition, applicants must be individuals who are providing evaluation and data support to their organizations, but have not received formal evaluation training, or have only received minimal training.
Sponsorship – Applicants must be sponsored by their organization. Each participant must identify a sponsor in a supervisory role at their organization to ensure that the participant and their evaluation work is supported by the organization. This means that a supervisor at their organization must agree to provide the participant time to prepare for and attend all 6 workshops and the evaluation panel. For anyone seeking the evaluation certification, supervisors must also provide time and support for participants to engage with the evaluation coach to address a project within their organization. Supporting evaluation work with guided coaching requires organizations to give consent for the participant to use data and other information related to an existing evaluation project in order to expand the participant’s learning. This also means that organizataions consent for coaches to access the project data and any relevant information in order to support the participant.
Workshop Attendance – Applicants must be able to attend five of the six learning sessions of the evaluation workshop, attend the evaluation panel, and complete all preparation for all six sessions (approximately two hours of preparation/week) in order to be eligible for coaching support. Coaching sessions are focused on providing guidance on the evaluation project. Participants must meet with their coaches on a weekly basis and demonstrate progress on their project. Participants who complete these requirements will be eligible to earn the Pathways Initiative Evaluation Certificate.
Coaching - Participants who opt into coaching must commit to completing an evaluation project. Coaching sessions will be used to help guide the participant’s project. Attendance at weekly coaching sessions is part of the Pathways Evaluation Program’s requirements.
Evaluation Project – Applicants seeking evaluation certification must identify a current evaluation project that they would like to work on throughout the program engagement. It is not required that participants develop a new project to participate in the program, but may identify an existing well-defined evaluation project. The project may be at any point in the evaluation cycle and does not need to be completed before the end of the program, as the participants may focus on a particular portion of the evaluation project as their requirement for participation. As part of your description of the evaluation project being proposed, please include detailed information for each of the following components: project description, problem being addressed by the project, population served/targeted, design, approach, data collection methods, data analysis plan and timeline. You also need to provide a description of your goals for this project and what assistance or challenges you anticipate being addressed with your coach. Participants will apply the culturally responsive evaluation practices learned through the workshop series and their coaching sessions to further the goals of their organization.