Dismantling Master’s House with master’s Tools:

Toward Liberation in Evaluation Rodney Hopson, Duquesne University

Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment Inaugural Conference

College of Education at Illinois21-23 April, 2013

Vote of ThanksCollege of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignCREA Inaugural Conference Planning Committee & Conference TeamRobert Wood Johnson Evaluation Fellowship Program: OMG Center for Collaborative Learning & School of Education, Duquesne University

Our role as evaluators, “in such a time as this”

Ancient Susa

Children in modern day Susa

Master’s Tools and Master’s House

What does it mean when the tools of a racist patriarchy are used to examine the fruits of that same patriarchy? It means that only the most narrow perimeters of change are possible and allowable.(Lorde, 1984/1979)

Beyond tools…

Results Lead To

Positive Cultural

& Sociopolitical

Outcom

es For

The Group

Over Tim

e

Com

munity A

nalysis

School AnalysisClassroom

Analysis

Program Analysis

CIVIC CAPACITY

SO

CIA

L C

APIT

AL S

UM

MA

RY

CR

E T

EA

M

SELECTIO

N &

PR

EPA

RATIO

N

FundingTechnologyMaterialsPhysical

EnvironmentStakeholderGroups

Frame RightQuestions w/Stakeholder Input

Gain Stakeholder Buy In

Design CRE

Agreement on Evidence?

Select &/O

r Adapt

Instruments

Collect Data

Mixed Methods)

Culturally Trained

Data Collectors

AnalyzeData

(Disaggregate)CRE Panel

Review Of

Findings

YESNO

District Analysis

Produce Report andPresentation

CULTURAL INFLUENCES

SOCIOPOLITICAL INFLUENCES

*CONTE

XTU

AL

ANALY

SIS

W/

CULT

URAL/

SOCIO

POLI

TICAL

EMPHASIS

*Cultural/Sociopolitical factors are emphasized throughout the evaluation

Product WidelyDistributed & ResultsExplained To AllStakeholders

StakeholdersResults Useful ForAll Stakeholders

SANKOFA MODEL

©2010 P. Frazier-Anderson, S. Hood. & R. Hopson. All Rights Reserved.

Whose assumptions drive our tools?

Who forms the work? Who sets the agenda?

Who informs our work?

UAA 2013 - San Francisco, CA

Entrance to Africville

UAA2013 - San Francisco, CA

Africville Relocation

UAA 2013 - San Francisco, CA

Africville news

UAA 2013 - San Francisco, CA

Africville during relocation

Relevance Africville

Africville Stakeholders

Department of Public WelfareAfricville

DalhousieUniversity

HalifaxNova ScotiaCanada& Beyond

City and Municipal Government More government

Relevance Africville

“The historical description and evaluation of the Africville relocation had, therefore, to be planned and executed at standards of comprehensiveness, thoroughness, and competence…”

-Clairmont & Magill, 1971

Responsibilities Africville

UAA 2013 - San Francisco, CA

Action on Africville

UAA 2013 - San Francisco, CA

Responsibilities Africville

UAA 2013 - San Francisco, CA

Africville 2012

UAA 2013 - San Francisco, CA

Africville 2012

UAA 2013 - San Francisco, CA

Africville 2012

Evaluation as liberatingLiberation is a value of science. That should be the perspective from which minority scientists seek to advance multiple perspectives, and methodological rigor: not for the purpose of simply predicting, controlling, and understanding, but for the purpose of emancipating (liberating) the bodies, minds, communities, and spirits of oppressed humankind (Gordon, 1999:184).