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Session Title: The Illogic of Privileging Western Mainstream Ways of Knowing and Evaluation Practice in Indigenous and Other Non-western or Non-mainstream Contexts

Panel Session 782 to be held in Hopkins Room on Saturday, November 10, 12:10 PM to 1:40 PM

Sponsored by the Indigenous Peoples in Evaluation TIG

Chair(s):

Morris payday loan  Lai payday loan ,  University of Hawaii,  lai@hawaii.edu

Discussant(s):

Nan payday loan  Wehipeihana payday loan ,  Research Evaluation Consultancy Ltd,  nanw@clear.net.nz

Abstract: Since the latter part of the 18th century, Westerners have foisted much upon the indigenous peoples of Hawai'i and Aotearoa and later upon other non-mainstream groups. That foisting and colonization were based on the assumption that Western ways were an improvement on our own. The role of research and evaluation in this process is less explicit than the guns and religion also used. The privileging of Western ways of knowing within research, evaluation, and pedagogy is equally illogical. This privileging denies the knowing indigenous and other minority communities have. We illustrate this point with examples of community storytelling about historical events, educational initiatives, and evaluation strategies that meet the demands for Western-preferred evidence. Evaluators then become caught in the middle as translators who must attempt to bridge this knowledge divide. We have learned to use all the relevant available tools such as theory, ethical protocols, and community action.

Dastardly Deeds and Words Should Lead to Loss of Privileges Morris payday loan  Lai payday loan ,  University of Hawaii,  lai@hawaii.edu Much land and other property belonging to the Hawaiian and Maori people were illegally (even by Western standards) taken by Western colonizers near the end of the 18th century. Such dastardly deeds continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and many other acts of cruel prejudice against non-Westerners are occurring at the present time. Among the perpetrators of horrendous behavior against indigenous and other minority peoples are U.S. presidents, a U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, presidents of Harvard University, a renowned historian, a state governor, Christian ministers who led indigenous churches, law makers in many states, a prominent general in the U.S. Army, and a national museum. It would be foolish, not proper, and illogical for any group of people, grossly mistreated by the aforementioned Western/mainstream 'experts' and prominent leaders, to turn around and then privilege Western/mainstream approaches to matters such as evaluation, pedagogy, and ways of knowing.

Managing for Maori Outcomes Fiona payday loan  Cram payday loan ,  Katoa Ltd,  fionac@katoa.net.nz Government departments in Aotearoa New Zealand are moving toward a Managing for Outcomes' (MfO) environment in which evaluative activity is seen as essential to a department's ability to learn from successes and failures within an environment more focused on performance and outcomes. These moves are impacting on departments' contracted providers of services and programmes, including Maori (tribal) Provider Organizations (MPOs). The potential for MfO to re-colonize MPOs cannot be ignored, especially if relationships are not present between departments and contracted MPOs and/or mainstream values dominate legitimated departmental outcomes. The application of learnings from indigenous evaluations (with, for, and/or by MPOs; often using qualitative methods) can forestall this re-colonization by privileging indigenous values and successful models of practice. Challenges to this happening include demands for 'hard' evidence, unrealistic expectations, and racism. This paper examines evaluation lessons that have been learned and asks whether anyone is open to them.

Kumu o ka 'Aina (Teachers of Our Land): Home Grown New Teacher Development Alice payday loan  Kawakami payday loan ,  University of Hawaii,  alicek@hawaii.edu Western educational settings and teacher education programs are dominated by accountability mandated by the national accreditation agencies, teacher licensing boards, and student content and performance standards. These standards define parameters for teacher education programs, new teacher licensing, and K-12 student achievement as defined by knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Thus, mainstream views are privileged even in learning communities with multicultural and indigenous student populations. The Ka Lama o ke Kaiaulu Elementary Teacher Education Cohort and the Ka Lama Education Academy empower the indigenous community through recruitment of pre-service teacher candidates, school community partnerships and curriculum integration of guidelines for Culturally Healthy and Responsive Learning Environments (CHARLE) also known as Na Honua Mauli Ola Hawaii. This presentation will describe work that elevates the indigenous community within the process of new teacher development through recruitment, field experience partnerships, and teacher candidate values clarification. It will also identify future directions for program development.

Assets Based Inquiry: Culling Tenets of Success From Promising Practices in Hawaiian Education Kanani payday loan  Aton payday loan ,  Kapuahi,  k-aton@hawaii.rr.com In Hawaii's public school population, 26% are Native Hawaiians. Statewide, Hawaiian education community stakeholders and the State Department of Education (DOE) collaboratively design specific strategies for improving the quality of their learning. This initiative recently pulled together successful characteristics, or Tenets of Success of Hawaiian educational promising practices from the community using Assets Based Inquiry (adapted from Appreciative Inquiry), a practice that identifies what is working for broader replication, rather than focusing on fixing what doesn't work. The Tenets of Success underpin promising Hawaiian education practices and are an effective starting point for planning/piloting in the DOE system. This process also supported strong relationship building at the stakeholder base, another significant outcome that may help overcome the challenges of the DOE system's lukewarm response to the usefulness of the Tenets thus far as well as keep this largely volunteer effort sustained.