Cultural responsiveness in program evaluation practice

The discourse surrounding cultural responsiveness in program evaluation has increased markedly in recent years. Although we have a sense of approaches that guide evaluators on how they should attend to culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion, there has been little empirical research examining culturally responsive and equity-focused evaluation in practice. In this presentation, Boyce will discuss recent studies examining the intersection of evaluators of color’s identities, roles, and practice, and how evaluators funded by the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program define and measure DEI within their projects. She will also provide examples of and guidance for implementing culturally responsive approaches to evaluation.

Dr. Ayesha S. Boyce is an associate professor and the associate director of strategic partnerships within the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University. She is a cisgendered Afro Latina, a mother, and co-directs the STEM Program Evaluation Lab. Her research focuses on attending to value stances and issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, cultural responsiveness, and social justice within evaluation—especially multi-site, STEM, and contexts with historically and strategically marginalized populations. She also examines teaching, mentoring, and learning in evaluation. She has evaluated over 60 programs funded by the US National Science Foundation, US Department of Education, US Department of Defense, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, US National Institutes of Health, and Spencer and Teagle foundations. She is a 2019 American Evaluation Association (AEA) Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award recipient, currently sits on the AEA board of directors, and is a co-editor for the American Journal of Evaluation Section on Ethics, Value, and Culture.