Paul Elam presented at the Chicago University of Illinois Conference on Culturally Responsive Evaluation. He was joined by Professor Christopher Dunbar, Assistant Professor LaShaune Johnson, and PPA affiliated consultant Willard Walker. This workshop focused on the practical use of a racial equity lens when conducting evaluation.
Participants were provided with a template for analyzing programs through a culturally responsive and racial equity lens, which was designed to focus deliberately on an evaluation process that takes race, culture, equity, and community context into consideration.
“The framework argues that culture and race are important considerations when conducting an evaluation,” said Dr. Elam. “We believe that there are both critical and substantive nuances that are often missed, ignored, and misinterpreted when an evaluator is not aware of the culture of those being evaluated.”
Dr. Elam was also invited by Chapin Hall’s Executive Director, Bryan Samuels, to present to their policy and research staff. This talk also focused on the practical use of a racial equity lens when conducting evaluation. Participants had the opportunity to engage in a small-group self-assessment exercise and discussion to apply the concepts contained in the template to real-world evaluation processes.
For more information about PPA’s work in racial equity contact Dr. Elam at pelam@publicpolicy.com or 517-485-4477.