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Local Evaluation News and Happenings

       Do you have news or events to share? Send an email to info@mneval.org. 

  • 04 May 2020 4:29 PM | MNEA admin (Administrator)

    The stakes have never been higher for effective, efficiently run local governments.

    We want to help.

    While evaluating performance management—the use of performance information for management purposes—managers and analysts sometimes skip too quickly through the intricacies of good performance measurement.

    That's where Performance Measurement for Managing Local Government comes in. It answers the persistent questions that confront everyone who has ever tried to design measures, evaluate measures, or make measures the management tools they are supposed to be. This book guides you toward proper design of measures, illustrates common errors and ways to avoid them, offers tips, and even provides sets of suitable measures on which to build.

    In other words—before tackling performance management, read this book first.

    Please consult the attached flyer for more detailed information, including testimonials and full contents.

    About the Author: David N. Ammons is Professor of Public Administration and Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a nationally-recognized expert on performance measurement, benchmarking, performance management, and productivity improvement in local government. He has served on the National Performance Management Advisory Commission and the North Carolina Governor’s Advisory Committee on Performance Management.

    To Purchase: Performance Measurement for Managing Local Government is available for purchase from Amazon in paperback and as an eBook.

    For information of discounts on bulk sales of five or more copies, please contact the publisher, Harry Briggs, directly at mgmt@melvinleigh.com.

    Local Elected Officials

    PS: You may also be interested in Local Elected Officials: Guardians of Good Governance, a practical handbook for both local elected officials and those who work with them in state and local government administration.


  • 04 May 2020 4:13 PM | MNEA admin (Administrator)

    Data Disrupted: Practical Solutions to Adapt Research and Evaluation Plans During COVID-19

     

    Free Webinar

    May 12, 2020
    2:00-3:30 PM EDT

    While many youth-serving programs have adapted quickly in response to COVID-19, disruptions to research and evaluation data collection efforts have left practitioners with questions about how to complete current projects and what information to collect to guide future planning. This webinar will convene researchers, evaluators and funders to discuss practical solutions for interrupted data collection efforts and reporting expectations to promote the continuation of quality improvement conversations and the sharing of program impact stories. 

    This panel will address questions such as: Should we revise our plan or stop the evaluation completely? What data is most relevant, useful, and practical to collect in this new context? How else can we add value if data collection efforts are put on hold? How should we communicate necessary adjustments and contingencies to key stakeholders? Participants are invited to share specific questions and/or challenges they are experiencing during the registration process to guide the discussion.


     Register here! 

     


  • 17 Apr 2020 7:54 PM | MNEA admin (Administrator)

    The Evaluation Association of St. Louis is excited to offer American Evaluation Association affiliate members a webinar opportunity with David Fetterman, the founder of empowerment evaluation.

    Register Here

    Members: log-in here to access the affiliate registration code from MNEA

    Instructions for joining the webinar will be sent out prior.

    Workshop Description:
    Empowerment evaluation is a stakeholder involvement approach to evaluation. It is aimed at learning and improvement. It helps people learn how to help themselves and become more self-determined, by learning how to monitor and evaluate their own programs and initiatives. Key concepts include: a critical friend (evaluator helping to guide their evaluation), cycles of reflection and action, and a community of learners. Principles guiding empowerment evaluation range from improvement to capacity building and accountability. The basic steps of empowerment evaluation include: 1) establishing a mission or unifying purpose; 2) taking stock – a baseline self-assessment designed to help measure growth and improvement; and 3) planning for the future – establishing goals and strategies to achieve objectives (based on their self-assessment), as well as credible evidence to monitor change. An evaluation dashboard is used to compare actual performance with quarterly milestones and annual goals. The role of the evaluator is that of a coach or facilitator in an empowerment evaluation, since the group is in charge of the evaluation itself. The workshop will highlight how empowerment evaluation produces measurable outcomes with case examples ranging from high tech companies such as Google and Hewlett-Packard to work in rural Arkansas and squatter settlements in South Africa. The workshop will introduce participants to the theory, concepts, principles, and steps of empowerment evaluation as well as the technological tools to facilitate the approach.

    Presenter:

    David M. Fetterman is the President and CEO of Fetterman & Associates, an international ethnographic and evaluation consultation firm. He works in a wide range of settings, ranging from townships in South Africa to Google in Silicon Valley. Clients and sponsors include: the U.S. Department of Education, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Hewlett Packard Philanthropy, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and Arkansas Department of Education. David has also provided consultation services for the: Ministry of Education in Japan, Ministry of Health in Brazil, Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, and Te Puni Kokiri (Ministry of Māori Development) in New Zealand.

    He concurrently serves as a member of the faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute and the University of Charleston. Dr. Fetterman has over 25 years of experience at Stanford University. He was a Consulting Professor of Education in the School of Education and the Director of Evaluation in the School of Medicine at Stanford University. Formerly, he served as a Professor and Research Director at the California Institute of Integral Studies, Principal Research Scientist at the American Institutes for Research, and a Senior Associate and Project Director at RMC Research Corporation. He received his PhD from Stanford University in educational and medical anthropology.

    David is a past-president of the American Anthropological Association’s Council on Anthropology and Education and the American Evaluation Association. He is a Fellow of the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology. David received the Top Anthropologist of the Year 2019 Award; the American Anthropological Association’s President’s Award; George and Louise Spindler Award, for outstanding contributions to educational anthropology; and the Ethnographic Evaluation Award. He also received the Paul Lazarsfeld Award for Outstanding Contributions to Evaluation Theory and the Myrdal Award for Cumulative Contributions to Evaluation Practice―the American Evaluation Association’s highest honors.

    Fetterman has contributed to a variety of encyclopedias and is the author of Ethnography: Step by Step (4th edition); Excellence and Equality: A Qualitatively Different Perspective on Gifted and Talented Education; and Empowerment Evaluation in the Digital Villages: Hewlett-Packard’s $15 Million Race Toward Social Justice. Dr. Fetterman is the editor of: Ethnography in Educational Evaluation; Educational Evaluation: Ethnography in Theory, Practice, and Politics; Speaking the Language of Power: Communication, Collaboration, and Advocacy (translating ethnography into action); Qualitative Approaches to Evaluation in Education: The Silent Scientific Revolution; Empowerment Evaluation: Knowledge and Tools for Self-assessment, Evaluation Capacity Building, and Accountability; Empowerment Evaluation Principles in Practice; and Foundations of Empowerment Evaluation. (Details of the projects are available at http://www.drdavidfetterman.com).


  • 15 Apr 2020 2:43 PM | MNEA admin (Administrator)

    Call for Nominations for the AEA Board of Directors

    Deadline: Friday, May 7, 2020


    Show your commitment to the value of the American Evaluation Association and help to shape its future! You may nominate yourself or a committed AEA colleague. This year we will elect three Board Members-at-large and a President-Elect. Nominating candidates for office is a valuable service to the Association and your thoughtful participation in this process is greatly appreciated.

    Board Members

    Any AEA member (international as well as national) may serve on the AEA Board. The Board Members serve three-year terms, beginning January 1, 2021 and attend three-four in-person Board meetings a year. Each board member serves the board through attendance at Board meetings, active participation in the work of the Board, ongoing email communications, liaising with Board Task Forces, and other Board-focused volunteer groups as assigned. The Board follows the Policy Governance governing system. 

    LEARN MORE



  • 08 Apr 2020 2:39 PM | MNEA admin (Administrator)


    Review Evaluation 2019 Sessions from Home

    Now more than ever, it is important to share lessons and guidance with one another as we navigate the current times together.

    We are offering AEA members free access to the Presidential Strand sessions and Plenary sessions from Evaluation 2019. Share the recordings with your teams, students, or colleagues while many of us adjust to our new working environment.

    You can view all Presidential Strand sessions and Plenary presentations from Evaluation 2019 – focused on the role of evaluators in shaping the future of the evaluation profession.

    Access Recordings

    Available sessions include:

    ·     When Adaptation Isn't Optional: Strategies for Evaluation and Learning in Fragile Environments

    ·     African Paths to the Future of Evaluation in Africa

    ·     Leadership for Evaluators: Engaging Clients in Adaptive Work

    ·     The Case for Attention to Environmental Sustainability in all Evaluations

    ·     Prioritizing What Matters in Evaluation

    ·     And more


  • 08 Apr 2020 6:33 AM | MNEA admin (Administrator)

    While you are looking to stay connected to your teams, we recommend browsing the AEA Coffee Break library on the Digital Knowledge Hub. These 20 minute webinars are free to all members. 


  • 07 Apr 2020 4:13 PM | MNEA admin (Administrator)

    Register Now for AEA's Upcoming Town Hall:

    AEA Leadership: Time for Nominations

    Interested in becoming a leader within AEA? Sign up now for the next Town Hall led by AEA staff and leadership members to learn about the Board of Directors nominations process ahead of elections. Anyone who is interested in joining the leadership team is welcome to attend this informational meeting.

    Please note self-nominations are welcome. You do not need to be nominated by another member in order to participate in elections.

    Thursday, April 23 at 2:00 pm EST

    Facilitators include:

    AEA President, Aimee White
    Nominations and Elections Working Group Chair, Anne Vo
    AEA Past President, Leslie Goodyear

    Register Now

    Member login required to register. 

    AEA is excited to launch into 2020 nominations and elections, open now. This is the space to ask questions no prior AEA leadership experience is required.


  • 07 Apr 2020 2:53 PM | MNEA admin (Administrator)

    Members at the 2019 Luncheon in Minneapolis

    The ACE Evaluation Network Spring Call for Qualifications is open!

    The Advancing Culturally-responsive and Equitable (ACE) Evaluation Network invites experienced evaluators to join our diverse community of professionals whose mission is to both drive and support the practice of excellent, culturally responsive and equitable evaluation (CREE).

    Joining the ACE Evaluation Network is free and provides opportunities to build networking connections, establish evaluation contracts, and pursue professional developmentExpanding the Bench™ (ETB) specifically invites evaluators from historically marginalized and under-supported groups to apply for Network membership. Membership criteria include:

    • 7 years (or more) of paid evaluation experience and expertise
    • Authorship and writing quality
    • Project management resources
    • Knowledge and practice of CREE

    Learn more and apply to join the ACE Evaluation Network: https://expandingthebench.org/ace/become-a-member/

    Responses to the Call for Qualifications are due on Monday, April 27, 2020 by 5:00 pm ET/ 4:00 pm CT/ 3:00 pm MT/ 2:00 pm PT/ 1:00 pm AKT/ 11:00 am HT.

    Please contact the ETB Team at team@expandingthebench.org with any questions.

    The Expanding the Bench Team


  • 01 Apr 2020 7:40 PM | MNEA admin (Administrator)

    Online Icebreakers: Connecting from a Distance.

    incebreakersTuesday, April 21st 11:30-12:30 - REGISTER HERE

    We know that building relationships and connectedness is key to the social and emotional supports that we all need right now. This interactive Zoom Meeting will model a variety of Zoom features and engagement techniques that bring fun and connection to your virtual meetings and programming, youth worker style! Be prepare to be hands on and engaged!

    Sprockets

  • 29 Mar 2020 11:11 AM | MNEA admin (Administrator)

    The Indiana Evaluation Association (IEA) is excited to be hosting John Gargani and Robert McLean for a virtual presentation on their new book Scaling Impact: Innovation for the Public Good. The webinar will be April 17th from 1:00-3:00 pm CST (2:00-4:00 pm eastern time). 

    IEA is offering free registration MNEA members!  Thank you! Register under "Affiliate" at:  https://indianaevaluation.org/Events  Log-in to the MNEA website HERE  and access the event promo code by selecting Members Discounts and Promo Codes. 

    Inspired by research on scientific and entrepreneurial innovators across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East, the book presents a different perspective on how to achieve impact that mattersThe book is organized around four research-based scaling principles—justification, optimal scale, coordination, and dynamic evaluation—and culminates in five case studies. 

    John and Robert will go beyond their published work, unpacking what they call dynamic evaluation. One aspect of dynamic evaluation is a new systems model that helps evaluators identify what they should assess when evaluating efforts to scale impact. They will discuss how the systems model complements traditional tools, like logic models and theories of change. And they will connect their work to two recent publications—Feinstein’s (2019) paper suggesting that dynamic evaluation be used to support transformative change, and Patton’s (2018) framework for Principles-Focused Evaluation.

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