January 24, 2017 Washington Evaluators professional development event w/ Donna M. Mertens.

1. PartnershipsforTransformativeChange
inChallengingPoliticalContexts
WashingtonEvaluators,Seminar,January2017

3. • Fulbright Specialist Program has recently undergone a change in
implementer from the Ins9tute of Interna9onal Educa9on – Council
of Interna9onal Exchange of Scholars (IIE-CIES) to World Learning
• https://fulbrightspecialist.worldlearning.org/
• 2 to 6 week project-based exchange for academics and
professionals across the globe
• Host institution (University of Santiago)
• Fulbright specialist

4. • Delivering a seminar or workshop
• Consulting on faculty or workforce development
• Developing academic or training curricula and materials
• Lecturing at the graduate or undergraduate level
• Conducting needs assessments or evaluations for a program
or institution

5. • American Evaluation
Association International
Partnership Program
http://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/
fid=287
• Voluntary Organizations for
Professional Evaluation
(VOPEs)
• Washington Evaluators and
RELAC
Andrea Peroni, Donna Mertens, Claudia
Olavarria, Fabiola Amariles, Gerardo
Sánchez

7. Claudia Olavarria
Andrea Peroni

8. • Historical legacy of oppression
• “The purpose here is to discuss/
show students how evaluation can
contribute to social change
towards social justice. I believe
this is the most interesting subject
you could address, maybe
showing some examples.
• My hope is to motivate them to
see that evaluation is a field in
which they could work and use it
to transform society.”
• Claudia Olavarria, September 2016,
personal communication

9. Curso de Evaluación Transformadora
• 4 day course September 2016
• 35 evaluators from Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, and
Argentina
• Structure: Simultaneous translation of lecture and discussion in
the AM; application to small group projects in the PM
• Theme: How can evaluators contribute to the improvement of
social justice and human rights through the design and
implementation of their work?

10. Assumptions Beliefs
Axiology Cultural respect; promote social justice &
human rights; address inequities; reciprocity
Ontology Multi-faceted; consequences of privilege
Epistemology Interactive; trust
Methodology Transformative, dialogic, mixed methods
TRANSFORMATIVE PARADIGM
Mertens MM Santiago Chile
September 2016 10

11. QUESTIONS ABOUT TRANSFORMATIVE EVALUATION
• DO WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO TRY TO
CHANGE THINGS WHEN WE BEAR WITNESS TO
RACISM, ABLEISM, AUDISM, SEXISM OR OTHER
ISMS?
• HOW CAN WE INCORPORATE PLANS FOR USE INTO
THE DESIGN OF THE EVALUATION TO FACILITATE
SOCIAL CHANGE?
• HOW CAN WE ADDRESS POWER DIFFERENTIALS IN
USE?Mertens MM Santiago Chile September 2016 11

12. SOLUTIONS
• POWER IN THE HANDS OF MEMBERS OF MARGINALIZED
COMMUNITIES
• FORMATION OF TEAMS OF EVALUATORS THAT REPRESENT
DIVERSITY
• CAPACITY BUILDING OF EVALUATION TEAMS BY
COMMUNITY MEMBERS RE: CULTURAL ISSUES
• CAPACITY BUILDING OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS RE:
EVALUATION STRATEGIES
• USE OF TRANSFORMATIVE CYCLICAL DESIGNS THAT ALLOW
FOR USE OF INFORMATION THROUGHOUT THE EVALUATION
Mertens MM Santiago Chile September 2016 12

13. September 2016Mertens MM Santiago Chile 13

14. BEING FLEXIBLE AND RESPONSIVE
• TRANSFORMATIVE COURSE FOR RELAC
• UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL – SOCIAL WORK
• UNIVERSIDAD DE ALBERTO HURTADO –
UG SOCIOLOGY
• PONTIFICA UNIVERSITY – GRADUATE
PUBLIC POLICY
• UNIVERSITY OF SANTIAGO – INCLUSION
OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
• MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
September 2016Mertens MM Santiago Chile 14

15. RESOURCES
• MERTENS, D. M. & WILSON, A. (2012).
PROGRAM EVALUATION THEORY AND
PRACTICE: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE.
NY: GUILFORD.
• MERTENS, D. M. (2015). RESEARCH
AND EVALUATION IN EDUCATION AND
PSYCHOLOGY: INTEGRATING
DIVERSITY WITH QUAL, QUANT AND
MIXED METHODS. 4TH ED. THOUSAND
OAKS, CA: SAGE.
• MERTENS, D. M. (2009).
TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH &
EVALUATION. NY: GUILFORD.
• MERTENS, D. M. & GINSBERG, P.
(2009).(EDS.) HANDBOOK OF SOCIAL
RESEARCH ETHICS. THOUSAND OAKS,
CA: SAGE.
• MERTENS, D.M., CRAM, F., & CHILISA, B.
(EDS.) (2013). INDIGENOUS
PATHWAYS. WALNUT CREEK, CA: LEFT
COAST PRESS.Mertens MM Santiago Chile
15September 2016

16. CONTACT INFORMATION
DONNA M. MERTENS, PHD
INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT
DONNA.MERTENS@GALLAUDET.EDU
Mertens MM Santiago Chile 16September 2016