| Session Title: Cultural Responsive Evaluation Leaders: Toward Transforming and Adapting Communities for Public Good |
| Multipaper Session 126 to be held in Room 113 in the Convention Center on Wednesday, Nov 5, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM |
| Sponsored by the Multiethnic Issues in Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Shane Chaplin, Duquesne University, shanechaplin@gmail.com |
| Discussant(s): |
| Karen E Kirkhart, Syracuse University, kirkhart@syr.edu |
| Hazel Symonette, University of Wisconsin Madison, symonette@bascom.wisc.edu |
| Abstract: The American Evaluation Association/Duquesne University Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program (AEA/DU GEDIP) is a pipeline development program designed to both increase the number of evaluators of color in evaluation and to develop future leaders of color in the profession. In the context of leadership development, the program works on two levels reflecting a key distinction in the leadership literature made by Heifetz (1994) between technical problems requiring authority (technical know-how or expertise, i.e. changing a tire) and problems requiring leadership (that is, complex issues without a clear solution that require adaptation, i.e. eliminating poverty). During the internship, interns are taught specific evaluation skills as they work on an evaluation project. This helps them address any technical problems as these arise in their evaluation work, and begins the lifelong process of creating authorities/experts in the field. Also interns are simultaneously challenged to adapt to and confront problems that go beyond any technical knowledge, that is, complex problems (in this case surrounding cultural responsiveness) that require leadership and not simply authority. The papers in this session reflect the specific work and struggles of interns as they went through this twofold journey of addressing both technical and leadership challenges in their evaluation projects. Heifetz, R.A. (1994). Leadership Without Easy Answers.Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press. |
| The Cost of Survival: Assessing the Healthcare Needs of Torture Survivors and Survivor Service Providers in Texas |
| Shimaa Dessouky, University of North Texas, dessouky@pacs.unt.edu |
| Over two-thirds of United Nations member nations use torture either openly or tacitly to control their citizens. Up to 35% of all refugees world-wide are torture survivors. Currently, there is an estimated 10,000+ torture survivors living in Texas. The Center for Survivors of Torture (CST), a non-profit organization, provides specialized psychological and rehabilitation services for these survivors. As a component of the AEA/DU yearlong graduate education diversity internship, this evaluation project is an assessment of the healthcare needs of torture survivors from both the client and providers perspectives of service provision in the Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) and Austin area. Evaluation questions addressed include: i) what are the existing gaps in healthcare service provision for survivors of torture, ii) where do these gaps lie in the North Texas and Austin areas, iii) what are the barriers to healthcare service provision for survivors of torture. The evaluation findings suggest that cultural competency plays an integral role in bridging the gap between service providers and their clients (survivors of torture). Findings also indicate limited funding for service providers and limited financial assistance for survivors as the leading barriers to service provision. |
| Analyzing Evaluation Instruments and their Connection to Public Policy Decision making in an Public Education Context |
| Amarachuku Enyia, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, aenyia@law.uiuc.edu |
| Public education is under much pressure from various sides. As federal and state funding lags, public institutions are forced to address issues of access, finance, and effectiveness. This study seeks to gain a fresh perspective on the public's perception of public education amid a backdrop of limited funding, housing policy that contributes to re-segregation, challenges to the system of accreditation, and myriad other issues facing America's public institutions. Through the use of statistical data detailing public school finance structures, social science research that explores the effects of housing policy on re-segregation of schools, and the use of culturally and contextually relevant surveys that address such issues as public school finance, affordability, and access, the Forum on the Future of Public Education hopes to gain new insight on ways they can target their efforts and initiatives to addressing the challenges faced by public education. Moreover, this study links the critical connection between the survey instruments used and the type of information gathered as it relates to the relevancy of public policies that are subsequently implemented. |
| Assessing the Impact of Teen-Parent Communication on Teens' Reproductive Health Behavior and Knowledge |
| Wenjuan Wang, John Hopkins University, wwang@jhsph.edu |
| This presentation is designed to report out on evaluation work conducted in a Latino-concentrated community, Brawley community. The work assesses the impact of the parent-teen communication on adolescent reproductive health knowledge and behavior. The project used the data from community mapping component of 'Plain Talk' project in Brawley County. Plain Talk's primary goal is to help community parents and adults develop skills to communicate effectively with teens about reducing sexual risk-taking. The community mapping process collects information on the adolescents' reproductive knowledge and behavior, teen-parents communication as well as the community's attitude, knowledge and beliefs regarding adolescent reproductive health. The process recruited 305 surveys completed in community including 100 adolescent surveys and 205 adult surveys. The preliminary findings show that teen-parents communication has positive influence on teens' reproductive health behavior and knowledge. The assessment is helpful for understanding the current situation of adolescent reproductive health and developing targeted intervention programs. |