Online Icebreakers: Connecting from a Distance.

The Indiana Evaluation Association (IEA) is excited to be hosting John Gargani and Robert McLean for a virtual presentation on their new book Scaling Impact: Innovation for the Public Good. The webinar will be April 17th from 1:00-3:00 pm CST (2:00-4:00 pm eastern time). 

IEA is offering free registration MNEA members!  Thank you! Register under "Affiliate" at:  https://indianaevaluation.org/Events.   Log-in to the MNEA website HERE  and access the event promo code by selecting Members Discounts and Promo Codes. 

Inspired by research on scientific and entrepreneurial innovators across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East, the book presents a different perspective on how to achieve impact that matters. The book is organized around four research-based scaling principles—justification, optimal scale, coordination, and dynamic evaluation—and culminates in five case studies. 

John and Robert will go beyond their published work, unpacking what they call dynamic evaluation. One aspect of dynamic evaluation is a new systems model that helps evaluators identify what they should assess when evaluating efforts to scale impact. They will discuss how the systems model complements traditional tools, like logic models and theories of change. And they will connect their work to two recent publications—Feinstein’s (2019) paper suggesting that dynamic evaluation be used to support transformative change, and Patton’s (2018) framework for Principles-Focused Evaluation.

The National Center for Evaluation and Assessment (NCEA), a division of Creative Research Solutions (CRS), will hold our inaugural conference on April 8-9, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.  Our speakers include Dr. Tracy Hilliard (MPHI), Dr. Melvin Hall (CREA), and Dr. T'Pring Westbrook.  Our theme is Forging New Pathways: Evaluation and Assessment in Support of Equity and Inclusion.  Visit https://nceaonline.com/events/save-the-date-2020-conference/ to learn more.  

On February 20 at 9am EST, join Data for Impact for the third webinar in a series sharing lessons learned in applying complexity-aware methods in evaluation. We'll discuss the Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) method, a useful tool for evaluators.

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By Sheila Robinson / January 25, 2020

Greetings aea365 readers AND authors! I’m Sheila B Robinson, Lead Curator and sometimes Saturday contributor. Just last week, I wrote this post asking what you would like to read on aea365 in 2020.

Thanks to those who offered these ideas! Now, I’m writing to ask YOU to consider contributing on one of these, or any other evaluation-related topics.

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February 7 Proposal Deadline: CREA (Culturally Responsive Evaluation & Assessment) 6^th Annual International Conference Sep. 29-Oct. 2 in Chicago, IL

• Being culturally responsive in the midst of discomfort and opposition—critically reflecting on our professional experiences and strategies for maintaining and strengthening our cultural responsiveness
• Choosing to be part of a solution rather than part of a problem—how well do we encourage interpersonal and academic discussions of racism and colonialism
• Building the capacity of those we work with—communities, organizations, funders—to understand history, culture and the distribution of power resulting from racism and colonialism
• Naming, unpacking, and destabilizing white privilege to understand how racism and colonialism negatively impact all peoples
• Delving deeper into the intersections of racism and colonialism with sexism, transphobia and other prejudices that marginalize and exclude
• Examining the theoretical roots of cultural responsiveness through the intersecting lenses of racism and colonialism.

Papers are invited that address one or more of the following:

1. Reports of interventions—We invite papers that describe interventions/programs addressing a particular type of inequity primarily including discussions of outcomes and impacts.

2. Development of an intersectional evidence base—We invite papers that discuss new ways of thinking about evidence of effectiveness and program impact within interventions that target people of color including indigenous and tribal specific communities.

3. Theories of change that incorporate an intersectional perspective—We invite papers that explore the plausibility and testability of various theories of change that address inequities in specific, local or global circumstances.

4. Instrumentation—We invite papers that address issues in the development of measures and indicators that are sensitive to capturing changes in underrepresented individuals and communitiesthat are targeted in programs and interventions. 5. Critical reflection —We invite papers that deconstruct dynamics of power and privilege surrounding evaluation and assessment while closely examining the cultural location of our work as well as its ethical and moral complexities given intersectional considerations.

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A new issue of the Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation (JMDE) was published recently and is freely available at jmde.com
http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1.

The contents of the issue are:

Donald T. Cambell’s Evolutionary Perspective and its Implications for Evaluation http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/553
Robert Picciotto

What, How, and Why? A Comparative Analysis of 12 Goal-Free Evaluations http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/444
Brandon W. Youker

Big Shoes to Fill: An Evaluation Journey in the Footsteps of Daniel L. Stufflebeam http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/609
Sherrie-Ann Camilli

Retrospective Pretest and Counterfactual Self-Report: Different or Same? http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/575
Tony C.M. Lam, Edgar Valencia

Children’s Opinion of Retrospective Pre-Post ‘Then-Test’ Survey Validity http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/535
Leanne M. Kelly