Guiding Questions Advance Equity in Evaluation and Research

Guid­ing Ques­tions to Advance Equi­ty in Eval­u­a­tion and Research, a new pub­li­ca­tion from the Annie E. Casey Foun­da­tion, helps researchers, eval­u­a­tors and fun­ders embed equi­ty-focused prac­tices into their work. The report pro­vides a set of flex­i­ble, adapt­able ques­tions to fos­ter a com­mon approach for researchers, eval­u­a­tors and fun­ders to apply equi­ty-cen­tered prin­ci­ples to the stud­ies they com­mis­sion and oversee.

“The guid­ing ques­tions have helped Casey staff turn the Foundation’s com­mit­ment to equi­ty in eval­u­a­tion and research into action­able steps to nego­ti­ate what can feel like an over­whelm­ing process,” said Kim­ber­ly Spring, the Foundation’s direc­tor of Research and Eval­u­a­tion. ​“Our goal was to pro­vide not a rigid check­list but a series of ques­tions that oth­ers can use to iden­ti­fy blind spots and think more deeply and con­crete­ly about advanc­ing equity.”

Devel­op­ing an Equi­ty-Focused Approach to Research

Rec­og­niz­ing that data show chil­dren and fam­i­lies of col­or often face the great­est bar­ri­ers to suc­cess, in 2017, the Foundation’s Research and Eval­u­a­tion team began to devel­op an equi­ty-focused approach to its work. Its sur­vey of research showed eval­u­a­tion find­ings were strength­ened by incor­po­rat­ing the per­spec­tives of those most affect­ed by a project, prac­tice or policy.

Influ­enced by the Equi­table Eval­u­a­tion Frame­work and the Foundation’s Race Equi­ty and Inclu­sion Action Guide, Guid­ing Ques­tions stress­es the impor­tance of being aware of racial and cul­tur­al con­texts and seek­ing solu­tions that reflect the col­lec­tive wis­dom of researchers, prac­ti­tion­ers, youth and communities.

The ques­tions cov­er each stage of a research or eval­u­a­tion project, includ­ing the choice of mem­bers of a project team, research method­ol­o­gy, analy­sis of data and the dis­sem­i­na­tion of find­ings. The ques­tions and asso­ci­at­ed work­sheets empha­size the impor­tance of ensur­ing that those affect­ed by a study are ful­ly engaged in every phase of it.

How to Use the Guid­ing Questions

Guid­ing Ques­tions acknowl­edges that there is no sin­gle way to incor­po­rate equi­ty prin­ci­ples into a study. Users should adjust, add or omit ques­tions to make this resource rel­e­vant to their needs. Exam­ples of how the guid­ing ques­tions might be used include:

• help­ing a research team exam­ine its assump­tions and bias­es in a non­threat­en­ing way;
• design­ing a study that reflects dif­fer­ences in the expe­ri­ences and out­comes for var­i­ous racial groups;
• ensur­ing that a study con­sid­ers how sys­tems and struc­tures cre­ate or main­tain racial inequities; and
• devel­op­ing process­es to help com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers inter­pret and use the find­ings from a study.

Five Key Actions for Equi­ty-Focused Practice

In devel­op­ing the guid­ing ques­tions, Casey staff iden­ti­fied five key actions that may help oth­er fun­ders embed equi­ty-focused prac­tices into their research and eval­u­a­tion work:

• Set aside time for the process. Staff found they need­ed flex­i­bil­i­ty to expand their think­ing beyond tra­di­tion­al research meth­ods and to devel­op new prac­tices and approaches.
• Exam­ine cur­rent prac­tices. Start by exam­in­ing cur­rent prac­tices to incor­po­rate equi­ty in research and begin build­ing on them. This can help a poten­tial­ly over­whelm­ing shift in prac­tice feel doable and encour­age approach­es that are rel­e­vant and ground­ed in the team’s work.
• Give a sig­nif­i­cant role to all team mem­bers. Ensure that all mem­bers con­tribute to devel­op­ing an approach that is right for your organization.
• Test your ideas. Small pilot projects that can pro­vide oppor­tu­ni­ties to gain insights into process­es such as engag­ing com­mu­ni­ty and youth lead­ers in research projects.
• Engage com­mu­ni­ca­tions col­leagues. Part­ner to clear­ly explain what is meant by incor­po­rat­ing equi­ty in research and eval­u­a­tion and how incor­po­rat­ing equi­ty prin­ci­ples can lead to greater rig­or and more sig­nif­i­cant findings.

In addi­tion to the ques­tions and work­sheets, Guid­ing Ques­tions includes a list of resources that pro­vide def­i­n­i­tions, prac­ti­cal advice and strate­gies for inte­grat­ing equi­ty into research and evaluation. 

Learn how Atlanta is imple­ment­ing com­pre­hen­sive solu­tions to advance equi­ty among its citizens