Please join Washington Evaluators for a demo of the

Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse

The Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse (SSRC) is an ever growing virtual portal of research on low-income and TANF families and an online hub for professional networking among researchers, policymakers and practitioners who serve these populations. The SSRC aims to improve policy and practice in such areas as employment, education and training, and family self-sufficiency by improving access to field-tested, evidence-informed and evidence-based program strategies and high-quality research and by fostering professional connectivity among its targeted audiences. To access over 7,400 reports, datasets, journal articles, conference papers, federal publications, and more, visit the SSRC Library.

This demo will show how to best use the SSRC for the work that you do as a researcher, policymaker, practitioner, or for any other reason you are looking for high quality research on low-income populations.

The event is free, but there are limited spaces for non-members.

We look forward to seeing you there!   

WHEN: July 25, 2019, 12-12:30 pm

WHERE: Online- information provided after registration in reminder email

Registration Link and Code go to For Member Promo Code webpage

The application will open on June 3rd and will close on July 8^th.

AEA Conference 2019
This year, MNEA has the opportunity to be the local affiliate host site for AEA's annual conference in November. This event brings together more than 4,000 evaluators from around the world to discuss the theory and practice of evaluation. The theme for the 2019 meeting is: Paths to the future of Evaluation: Contribution, Leadership, Renewal. Learn more here.

MNEA Scholarship Opportunity for AEA Conference 2019
Thanks to a generous grant from the Bush Foundation, the MNEA Board is able to provide scholarships for underrepresented evaluators and evaluation users to attend AEA 2019. Receiving the scholarship will cover the AEA conference registration and a one-year AEA membership and a one year MNEA membership (if not already an AEA/MNEA member). The remainder of the scholarship funds are to be used at the recipients's discretion for expenses such as food, transportation, lodging, or childcare during the conference.

Apply Here

Preview the Application Here

Eligibility Requirement

• Must be a resident of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, or a Native Nation that shares those geographies
• Must 18 years of age or older

• Applicants from greater Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa,  or the Native Nations that shares these geographies
• People of color and Indigenous people, people who identify as LGBTIQ, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented identities
• Students (anyone currently enrolled as a student at the time of application submission)
• First time AEA conference attendees

Please note:  Scholarship recipients will need to provide proof of registration for the conference and should plan to attend a Scholarship Brunch on the opening day of the conference, Wednesday, November 13. 

About MNEA
The Minnesota Evaluation Association (MNEA) is a 501c6 tax exempt membership organization that primarily serves its members, with a mission to promote and improve the theory, practice, understanding, and use of evaluation and its contribution to the Minnesota community and the neighboring regions. Our work is led and managed by a volunteer working Board of Directors, and supported by over 300 active members, which includes professional evaluators, evaluation users, evaluation funders, and evaluation students. We organize professional development and networking events, serving the local evaluation community for over 33 years. We have been a local affiliate of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), the largest professional evaluation organization in the world, since 2004. Learn more about MNEA here.

June 9 - 12, 2019 in Atlanta, GA
American Evaluation Association Summer Institute

Logic models are instrumental in guiding evaluation and reporting activities. They can also help your team build consensus around assumptions and create cohesion about how you think about and communicate your program.

Join The Improve Group in taking inspiration from Marie Kondo to tidy up how you consider your program’s impact, realize what’s holding you back, and spark joy! With this half-day workshop, The Improve Group will teach you the “why” and “how” of using logic models to transform your program or organization into a well-oiled machine, clutter-free! Following the workshop, you can register to spend additional time working together to develop your logic model. Our training meets you where you are—no previous logic model (or tidying up) expertise required.

For more information on the benefits of having a logic model, check out this video from IG CEO Leah Goldstein Moses!

If this sounds like something that would benefit your program or organization, you can learn more and register here!

TCRG Brown Bag Speaker Series on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, 12:00 to 1:00 PM

Topic: Cognitive Interviewing: It WILL Improve Your Questionnaire.

Cognitive interviewing is one of the qualitative tools methodologists use to combat measurement error in questionnaire design.  This presentation will review the psychological response mechanism respondents use when completing a questionnaire, review some commonly used approaches to cognitive interviewing in questionnaire design, and give some examples of how survey instruments have been improved through the use of cognitive interviewing. 

Featured Presenter: Rob Daves is owner and principal of Daves & Associates Research. He is a Fellow and Past President of Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research.

Where: Wilder Foundation
451 Lexington Parkway, Saint Paul, MN 55104 
On the MetroTransit Green Line: Lexington Station

TCRG has implemented a membership program, with registration priority for dues-paying members. If you are a 2019 paid member, use the Eventbrite "Promotional Code" -- emailed separately -- to access Member ticketing.

Evaluation Community of Practice

Each month the Evaluation Community of Practice switches between:

All those with an interest in evaluation are welcome to attend! Feel free to bring along colleagues and guests or invite them to this and future events.  The group has sign-up sheets for participants to lead future morning meetings and be social hour hosts.

To join email: Laura Bohen at bohe0006@umn.edu

The application for the Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) Program, an Expanding the Bench™ initiative led by Change Matrix is now available.

We are seeking mid-career researchers from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups who aspire to become leaders in the field of evaluation. Applicants should have a doctoral degree with 3 to 5 years of experience in research or evaluation in the fields of social sciences or related fields, with at least three years of that experience occurring post-doctorate. For more information about the qualifications and expectations, access the LEEAD Scholar Overview document.

We will be hosting an informational webinar on April 15 at 1:00 pm EDT, where participants will have the opportunity to ask a LEEAD alum and Sandra Silva, LEEAD Project Director questions. In the meantime, if you have questions please email us at team@expandingthebench.org.

Click Here to Apply

The Minnesota Evaluation Association is looking for two student representatives to serve on our board for the 2019-20 school year (starting in June 2019). 

Click Here to Apply!  Deadline is April 30. 

In this workshop, facilitators will share how Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) can be used to empower and engage communities of color in organizations and foundations. YPAR, given its participatory framework, can build community power around an organization’s mission and vision. Not only does this research framework shift power dynamics, build and strengthen youth leadership, but it also can leave your organization and community with a stronger relationship to create and build solutions together.

As a participant, you will walk away with a YPAR curriculum that they can use to facilitate a youth research team within your own organization.

This workshop is for educators, organizations, foundations, and community members looking to learn more about YPAR, youth-led methodologies, solution building, and action planning.

Facilitators: Irina Barrera, Neese Parker

To learn more about this series visit: https://youthprise.org/resources-tools/disrupt-training-series/#ypar