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Session Title: Empowerment Evaluation Principles in Practice: The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Making Connections Initiative
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Panel Session 862 to be held in Mineral Hall Section G on Saturday, Nov 8, 10:45 AM to 12:15 PM
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Sponsored by the Collaborative, Participatory & Empowerment Evaluation TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Tom Kelly,
Annie E Casey Foundation,
tkelly@aecf.org
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| Discussant(s):
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| David Fetterman,
Stanford University,
david@stanford.edu
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| Abstract:
Collaborative evaluation, participatory evaluation and empowerment evaluation are variations on a field of practice that engages stakeholders in the evaluation process. Ten principles guiding this empowerment evaluation have been clearly laid out in the past decade; improvement, community ownership, inclusion, democratic participation, social justice, community knowledge, evidence-based strategies, capacity building organizational learning and accountability. During that same period, the Annie E. Casey Foundation launched its Neighborhood Transformation/Family Development Initiative (Making Connections) in low-income neighborhoods in 22 cities throughout the U.S. This panel discusses the extent to which the Making Connections initiative in three of those cities has implemented the core principles of empowerment evaluation. The panelists-local evaluators in Denver, Indianapolis and San Antonio - will discuss what worked and what did not work in their attempts to put these principles into action. Fetterman, D., "A Window into the Heart and Soul of Empowerment Evaluation, "Chapter 1 and Abraham Wandersman, Jessica Snell-Johns, Barry E. Lentz, David M. Fetterman, Dana C. Keener, Melanie Livet, Pamela S. Imm and Paul Flaspohler, "The Principles of Empowerment Evaluation, "Chapter 2 in David M. Fetterman and Abraham Wandersman (eds.) Empowerment Evaluation Principles in Practice. New York: The Guilford Press, 2005.
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Empowerment Evaluation Principles in Practice: Making Connections-San Antonio
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| Robert Brischetto,
Making Connections San Antonio,
brischetto@wireweb.net
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The ten principles of empowerment evaluation as applied to the evaluation of the San Antonio Making Connections initiative reveal the successes and challenges since its inception in 2001. Resident engagement in the evaluation process is one of many challenges encountered. Once solution to the problem of resident engagement has been the establishment of a West Side Center for Resident Engagement in Community Evaluation Research (WS-CRECER) in one of the neighborhood service centers. The Presentation discusses the techniques and methods used to engage residents in the evaluation process and lessons learned from their implementation. The presenter is Robert Brischetto, the Local Learning Partnership Coordinator for Making Connections San Antonio since 2005. He has been the local evaluator of the Making Connections initiative in San Antonio.
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Empowerment Evaluation Principles in Practice: Making Connections - Indianapolis
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| Lisa Osterman,
Making Connections Indianapolis,
laosterman@earthlink.net
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| Elaine Cates,
Southeast Learning Partnership,
cates1e@yahoo.com
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The Southeast Learning Partnership is a neighborhood-based committee of residents and other stakeholders dedicated to collecting and sharing data for community improvement initiatives. Local service providers and policy makers rely on the SELP to provide critical information for evaluating programs and policies in the community. The grassroots approach to data collections and dissemination improves the quality and utility of the data, while simultaneously building community capacity to use data to measure change and hold community leaders, service providers, and policy makers accountable. Presenters include Elaine Cates, Chairperson of the SELP and community resident, and Lisa Osterman, Data Access Facilitator for Making Connections-Indianapolis.
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Empowerment Evaluation Principles in Practice: Making Connections - Denver
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| Sue Tripathi,
Making Connections Denver,
stripathi@mcdenver.org
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Making Connections-Denver (MC-D), a place-based initiative involves families in shaping the future of their neighborhoods. The initiative teaches residents to develop the relationships, skills, leadership and strategies necessary to build powerful communities and staff the Community Learning Network (CLN) to oversee research and evaluation of the initiative. To evaluate participation of residents, MC-D developed and administered the first wave of the Participant Family Data Collection (PFDC). The PFDC is a longitudinal, mixed-method study designed to capture the experiences of families participating deeply in MC-D. A goal of PFD implementation is for resident leaders to take the helm of the research and evaluation work. The PFDC project measures results and impact of strategies and also is a community building tool that engages and empowers community researchers and participating families in ways that are congruent with MC-D Guiding Principles. Presenters include Sue Tripathi, Evaluation Manager and Members of the Community Learning Network Team.
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