Assessing evaluation capacity in an early stage equity-focused organization

Area of Science:

• Program Evaluation
• Organizational Development
• Culturally Responsive Education

Background:

• Assessed evaluation capacity of SJC, a developing agency focused on culturally responsive education.
• Capacity assessment aimed to inform a comprehensive program evaluation plan.
• Addressed evolving operational and programmatic needs of the agency.

Purpose of the Study:

• Systematically assess SJC's evaluation capacity over eight months.
• Inform the design and implementation of a tailored program evaluation plan.
• Strengthen organizational capacity for learning, program evaluation, and data-informed decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Employed a mixed-methods approach.
• Included social network analysis, qualitative interviews, stakeholder survey, and organizational dataset review.
• Focused on understanding internal communication patterns and their impact.

Main Results:

• Identified key lessons for assessing capacity in small, mission-driven agencies.
• Highlighted the critical importance of cultural humility in evaluator-stakeholder dynamics.
• Social network analysis revealed communication patterns influencing organizational learning and effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Prioritizing agency values, experiences, and cultural context is essential for credible and useful findings.
• An external, expert-driven approach may not be suitable for emergent agencies.
• Embracing cultural humility and utilizing tools like social network analysis can enhance organizational capacity.