Resources

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Alternative Approaches to Program Planning & Evaluation

Many of the logic models and theory of change frameworks listed here were developed with Western societies and cultures in mind. They are taught in most academic settings and valued by grant makers. When applied to non-Western cultural settings, however, they may lead to misleading results or yield initiatives that are not appropriate for the community. In fact, in many cases they may have unintended negative consequences. The frameworks included below address this cultural mismatch by offering approaches that reshape the logic of program planning and evaluation in response to the norms and values of specific communities. Although most of these examples feature indigenous communities, the culturally sensitive approaches they demonstrate can be adapted to other cultural settings as well.

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Decolonized & Indigenized Research Methods

• Protocols for Native American Archival Materials​

• Indigenous Collections Care Guide

• Indigenous Data Sovereignty for K-14 Education by Dr. Carroll. 

• Archival Innovator Award: Indigenous Archival Training Program

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The Most Significant Change (MSC) Technique

Like theories of change, Most Significant Change (MSC) is a method of defining desired program outcomes, describing how they will be achieved, and explaining why they are achievable. Like logic models and theories of change, this technique is ideally developed collaboratively through brainstorming, and it is a strategy for monitoring progress toward outcomes. Unlike a theory of change, which produces quantifiable outcome indicators and relies on them to monitor progress, MSC is a qualitative approach. Instead of measurable outcome indicators, it relies on stories from the participating community to monitor success and to identify barriers. It is best suited to participatory program planning and evaluation, especially in cultural contexts where truth value is judged more by “voice” (storytelling) than by academic methods for establishing validity. This book (104 pages) takes the reader through the steps of the technique, reviews types of settings and initiatives where it has been successfully used, and discusses future directions. Four appendices provide detailed guidance for practitioners, including examples of story collection formats, significant change stories, story reporting formats, and a facilitation guide for story collection. The book’s overall approach aligns with strategies for decolonizing research and evaluation methods.

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Authors: Rick Davies and Jess Dart

Date: 2005

4

Are We There Yet? A Communications Evaluation Guide

A user-friendly, step-by-step guide for developing a program evaluation strategy, using plain language rather than technical jargon. Although the purpose is similar to the examples of logic models and theories of change included above, it is tailored to community-serving organizations that value implementing and evaluating their initiatives in partnership with the communities they serve. To that end, it incorporates communication with the community as a major aspect of the initiative. In addition to obtaining input from the community during planning stages, communicating interim and final results back to the community is addressed as an important factor. Communication methods range from print and television to social media such as blogs and networking sites as means for the organization to share results with a broad audience. A worksheet at the end guides the reader through the steps of program planning and evaluation.

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Authors: Developed by Asibey Consulting for The Communications Network

Date: 2008