Learn about the YaleEVAL approach
January 29, 2021Information
In this 5 minute video, you will hear from different members of our team about our approach to evaluation and how we will work with your team.
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- 00:03When I think about how to describe
- 00:05our approach to evaluation,
- 00:06one of the first things that comes
- 00:08to my mind is the word partnership
- 00:10as evaluators we have certain
- 00:12tools and frameworks that we
- 00:14can bring to our consultations,
- 00:15but we also recognize that we're
- 00:17partnering with organizations
- 00:19that are experts and what they do.
- 00:20Combining our expertise creates a
- 00:22synergy that propels the work forward.
- 00:24It creates a space for thinking
- 00:26about the program in
- 00:27a different way.
- 00:28We believe that evaluation
- 00:29should be strength focused.
- 00:31And that it should highlight
- 00:32best practices to help improve
- 00:34program performance and growth.
- 00:36We cultivate stakeholder empowerment by
- 00:39involving stakeholders to participate
- 00:41in and learn from the evaluation in
- 00:43order to shape the social context
- 00:45in response to what is learned,
- 00:47we engage in ongoing self reflection
- 00:49to ensure our work promotes equity
- 00:52and the highest level of integrity
- 00:54and excellence to those we serve.
- 00:56What
- 00:57I think about evaluation and
- 00:58my approach to evaluation,
- 01:00the word that comes to mind
- 01:03first is the word equity.
- 01:05As we think about doing evaluation work,
- 01:07we want to make sure that those
- 01:09we serve and we are working with.
- 01:12Recognize that value.
- 01:13Then there are equal partner in this
- 01:16partnership and the folks that they serve,
- 01:18the folks, the individuals that they
- 01:21serve two equally involved in this work,
- 01:24and we want to bring their voices.
- 01:27To the table.
- 01:29You wanna help to celebrate the
- 01:31successes of the program and where
- 01:34there needs to be improvement.
- 01:36We want to work with folks in an
- 01:38editor of way to make sure that
- 01:41their evaluation efforts help them
- 01:43achieve the results that they want.
- 01:46So to the end, or evaluation,
- 01:48services should serve the
- 01:50people that we're working with.
- 01:52The communities that they serve
- 01:54and the broader thinking about
- 01:56how we make our society.
- 01:57There are
- 01:58two values that influence
- 02:00my program evaluation work.
- 02:01In communities are Democratic
- 02:03participation in the idea of the
- 02:06evaluator as a critical friend.
- 02:08With respect to Democratic participation,
- 02:10it's really important to me that all
- 02:13voices are represented in an evaluation,
- 02:15and that different stakeholder groups
- 02:17have a voice in shaping the evaluation,
- 02:20reviewing the results,
- 02:21and thinking through recommendations
- 02:23based on those results.
- 02:25Sometimes it takes more time,
- 02:26but it's important to me that my voice
- 02:29isn't the only voice driving the evaluation.
- 02:32With respect to the idea of the evaluators,
- 02:35a critical friend,
- 02:36it's really important to me that people
- 02:39in organizations and communities know
- 02:40that I genuinely want them to succeed.
- 02:43I want them to reach their outcomes.
- 02:46I want them to positively impact the peoples,
- 02:48an community they serve or work on behalf of.
- 02:52So any suggestion that I might make
- 02:54really reflects the science as
- 02:56well as their local needs coming
- 02:58together so that we can develop the
- 03:01best evaluation given real world.
- 03:02Circumstances also,
- 03:03any feedback about the results of
- 03:06the data is in the spirit of helping
- 03:09to improve interventions so that
- 03:11positive results can be achieved.
- 03:14My evaluation practice is grounded in
- 03:16the values of social justice and equity.
- 03:20I believe that in a Democratic society
- 03:23everyone should have equal access to
- 03:25quality care and therefore I seek to
- 03:27utilize the valuation to help programs
- 03:30to improve services and increase access,
- 03:32especially for marginalized communities.
- 03:34One method that I use to achieve these goals
- 03:37is to engage citizens in all aspects of
- 03:40evaluating their services they received,
- 03:42including the development of evaluation
- 03:44questions and methods for data collection
- 03:46an in making sense of the results.
- 03:48By using these strategies,
- 03:50the voices and perspectives of
- 03:52consumers are clearly incorporated into
- 03:54decision-making about a given program.
- 03:56We have found the results from a consumer
- 03:59driven process are more authentic and
- 04:01yield recommendations that are actionable
- 04:03and that result in positive changes
- 04:05to services and the care environment.
- 04:08We
- 04:09begin with where an organization
- 04:10is at in terms of their knowledge,
- 04:13experience and staffing
- 04:14for evaluation and build.
- 04:16On that we start small by building
- 04:18capacity for a single program and then
- 04:21help leadership and staff extended to
- 04:23other programs in their organization.
- 04:26We also help an organization
- 04:28involve diverse stakeholders in the
- 04:30evaluation process to ensure that
- 04:32data is culturally grounded and
- 04:34represents the voices of those served.
- 04:37At all times,
- 04:38we promote rigorous evaluations by
- 04:41helping organizations reach their own
- 04:43potential for evaluation capacity.
- 04:45Eventually,
- 04:45the organization has the tools to
- 04:48establish a culture of evaluation
- 04:50that promotes continuous learning
- 04:52that can be sustained.