Getting Ready for Evaluation
Resources in this section are meant to help groups prepare for an evaluation. Part of this preparation involves considering why time, energy and resources are being invested in learning about this work. In addition, it is helpful to negotiate upfront how findings and lessons will be used – not just how they will be shared, but what are the likely consequences of positive or negative results for different groups and stakeholders. Systemic and cultural racism and privilege affect evaluation just as they affect other processes. They influence questions asked, types of evidence given credence, who decides how data are shared, conclusions drawn and their consequences. Getting ready includes raising these issues and including all parties in deciding how they will be addressed equitably. To do that, it is useful to invest group effort into learning how to discuss structural racism and privilege with each other. See also Evaluation Chapter from Flipping the Script pages 91-101, Evaluation Guiding Questions Tip Sheet and the other Tip Sheets on getting ready for evaluation (Why do an Evaluation; Developing A Common Understanding of the Ways That Racism, Power and Privilege Affect Issues a Group is Working On, and Learning from Other Organizations).
