Program Evaluations, Research, System Development
Program Evaluations
Emphasize the importance of the individual and collective experience, focus on contextual factors that impact program success, and intersectional evaluation design
that prioritize the needs of program consumers.
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Contextual Understanding: Evaluates programs within the specific cultural, social, and environmental contexts of the program's community, considering factors
like the impact of social constructions, professional relationships, and organizational systems on goals and desired outcomes.
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Mixed-Methods & Participatory Approaches: Utilizes a variety of research methods, including qualitative and quantitative data, and involves community members,
stakeholders, and clients as partners in the evaluation process to ensure findings are relevant and actionable.
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Community-Specific Needs: Addresses unique needs, such as addressing health disparities, supporting parents of children within the criminal justice system,
and increasing academic performance for K-12 students impacted by domestic violence.
Research & System Assessment
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Liberation and Praxis: The pursuit of liberation is a central aim, achieved through ongoing processes of inquiry, questioning dominant systems, and engaging
in relational praxis to transform communities.
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Centering Blackness: This involves using methods that are relevant to and informed by the experiences and perspectives of Black individuals and communities.
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Challenge to Dominant Epistemologies: Black methodologies actively disrupt traditional or "Western" approaches to knowledge by highlighting the cultural self,
and creative labor and creating new ways of understanding systems.
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Interdisciplinarity: The field draws on a wide array of disciplines within the social sciences and humanities, including literature, history, sociology, cultural studies,
and geography.