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Indigenous evaluation blog
 0 – Author (right) at the end of a presentation in one of the Sessions, with fellow presenters: Emmanuel Anobir Mensah (left) from the Mississippi State University; Dr. Gabriel Keney (second left) and Eunice Oduro (second right) from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, USA Day 1 - Wednesday, 9 April 2025I credit my participation to the CREA VIII Conference in Chicago, Illinois to two main sponsors. KATOA Limited, New Zealand through Dr. Fiona Cram, the Co-Chair of the EvalIndigenous Global Network, paid for my ticket; and the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign for the Conference registration. Without your support, I couldn’t have made it to Chicago, Illinois. Special thanks to Prof. Denice Ward Hood, the Director of the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; the Administrator of the CREA program, Timothy A. Leyhe and Dr. Anthony B. Sullers Jr., a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at CREA. Thank you so much! I wish to state that this was my first ever CREA Conference. So far, seven similar Conferences have been conducted and this was the 8th. The Conference ran from 8 – 11 April 2025, with the first day and half of the second day, set aside for pre-Conference Capacity-building Workshops. The official Opening Session for the Conference was on Wednesday, 9 April 2025 and ran from 12.30pm to 2.00pm, characterised by Indigenous entertainment and Welcome Remarks by Prof. Denice Ward Hood, the Director of the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) at the University of Illinoisat Urbana Champaign.  1 – Author (Right) with the incoming President of the International Evaluation Academy (IEA) and Former President of the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES), Andrealisa Belzer (left) and Co-Chair of EvalIndigenous Global Network, Dr. Fiona Cram (Centre) After the official opening, my next session was: a multi-paper presentation session dubbed: 1.2: Paper Session – Indigenous Evaluation. The Session Chair was Nicole R. Bowman-Farrell, of Bowman Performance Consulting, LLC. The first paper presentation in this session was titled: “Cultural Compass: Navigating assessment data through Indigenous wayfinding.” This presentation was made by Chiara Logli, an Assistant Professor and Institutional Assessment Specialist at the Honolulu Community College and Ululani Kahikina, the Kūkalahale Title III Grant Manager and lead facilitator of the E Hoʻi Nā Wai Indigenous Education Professional Learning Program located at Honolulu Community College, United States of America. The presenters explored how Hawaiian paradigms can enhance higher education assessments by integrating culturally responsive strategies that prioritise diversity, equity, and inclusion while addressing the limitations of standardized indicators. Using Grounded Theory methodology, they analysed faculty reflections from 2000 to 2024 to identify supports and barriers to student learning, emphasizing the need to contextualize both instruction and assessment practices. Their study advocates for learning environments rooted in Hawaiian cultural perspectives, aiming to inform institutional decision-making and professional development through contextualised data analysis.
This next presentation was titled: “Ho'okahi ka 'Ilau Like Ana (Wield the Paddles Together): A collaborative approach to indigenous assessment, cultural validity and outcomes in early childhood”and was made by Landry Leimalami Fukunaga, on behalf of the other authors: Shelli Aiona Kim, Nicole Mokihana Souza, all of the Kamehameha Schools, United States of America. The presenter highlighted a three-year initiative to develop and implement culturally valid, standards-based assessments for Hawaiian culture-based early childhood education, emphasising culturally defined outcomes over traditional Western frameworks. Through engaging multiple stakeholders and cultural experts, their study demonstrates the reliability and impact of these assessments in fostering Native Hawaiian identity, cultural learning, and social-emotional well-being, offering insights for broader applications in indigenous education. This last presentation in this session was made by Jackie Ng-Osori but the other authors who did not make it for the Conference included: Noilyn Mendoza, Patti Dayleg, 'Alisi Tulua, Alyshia Macaysa, Jason Lacsamana, and Amy Huang. In her presentation titled: “Pilina and Waialeale: Building Relationships and Connections Through the Rippling Waters”, Jackie Ng-Osori highlighted about The Healing Tides initiative, funded by the St. Joseph Fund, and how it unites nine Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander organizations in Southern California to address inequities through culturally responsive, community-driven strategies rooted in trust, traditional knowledge, and resilience. She emphasised that through relational responsibilities and co-creating culturally relevant metrics, the initiative creates an environment of mutual learning, accountability, and systemic change while respecting the unique identities of each participating organization. This approach demonstrates how culturally responsive evaluation can balance individuality and collective action to amplify community strengths and promote equity and well-being.  3 - Co-Chair of EvalIndigenous Global Network, Dr. Fiona Cram delivering her Keynote address I then headed to the Atlantic Ballroom for the Opening Keynote address by Dr. Fiona Cram of Katoa Limited, who also happens to be the Co-Chair of the EvalIndigenous Global Network. Dr. Fiona Cram’s keynote address titled: "Standing Firm to Move Forward: Place, History, and the Future of Indigenous Evaluation", emphasised that Indigenous evaluation must be rooted in place, history, and relationships to foster transformation and justice. She highlighted the importance of ancestral knowledge, cultural sovereignty, and relational accountability in evaluation practices. Dr. Cram advocated for methodologies like Kaupapa Māori, which centre Indigenous values such as self-determination (tino rangatiratanga), collective well-being (whānau), and respect for land (whenua). She addressed global grief stemming from colonization and environmental crises, urging evaluators to use evaluation as a tool for healing rather than oppression. Relational evaluation, grounded in trust and care, was presented as a pathway to empower communities and uphold Indigenous worldviews. Ultimately, Dr. Cram called for evaluations that honor Indigenous rights, strengthen relationships with land and people, and ensure outcomes reflect cultural aspirations—charting a transformative path forward for Indigenous evaluation practices. Dr. Cram urged evaluators to:
The address that earned Dr. Fiona Cram a well-deserved standing ovation from the participants, advocated for evaluations that are culturally responsive, transformative, and rooted in Indigenous values – ensuring they serve as instruments of justice and empowerment for present and future generations. Day 2 - Thursday, 10 April 2025On the second day of the Conference, I started my day by attending the morning plenary session which involved a powerful Panel made up of CREA Partners in the Atlantic Ballroom. The session was Chaired by Dr. Anthony B. Sullers Jr., from the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Panelists included: Dr. Dominica McBride, a Community Psychologist and Founder at BECOME; Prof. Joe O’Hara, a Full Professor of Education at Dublin City University, Director – Centre for Evaluation, Quality and Inspection (EQI); Dr. Palama Lee (CREA Hawai’i, Liliuokalani Trust) (LUH-LE + UH WOKE + KUH LAA NEE), and Dr. Rick Alan Sperling, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Community-based Research at the St. Mary’s University. The key messages delivered by the Panelists were an emphasis on the transformative potential of culturally responsive evaluation and assessment (CREA) in fostering liberatory relationships and advancing social justice globally, particularly in the face of challenges like the erosion of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. They shared insights on relational responsibility, positionality, and strategies for leveraging CRE to protect, uplift, and empower communities through affirmation, resistance, and hope. After the plenary session, I attended my next session which was a multi-paper session on the sub-theme of: “Relational Validity”. The Chair of the Session was Karen E. Kirkhart, of Syracuse University, while the Discussant was Melissa Goodnight of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In this session, Karen E. Kirkhart made the first presentation which was on: “Relational Responsibilities and Validity.” Karen emphasised that validity in evaluation is a relational responsibility, deeply rooted in culturally responsive practices that honour local knowledge, history, and land; while requiring evaluators to critically reflect on their positionality and privilege. She argued that relationships must be held accountable for their impact on equity and justice, as relational dynamics can either enhance validity or perpetuate marginalisation and complicity.
Ketan Mathavan, a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States of America and Melissa Rae Goodnight, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology as well as Educational Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, made their presentation on: “Large-scale Assessment Alchemy: Lessons from India on Blending Culture and Citizen-engagement for Stronger Validity.” The presenters highlighted the urgent need for culturally responsive assessments that account for students' unique identities and cultural perspectives, proposing an expanded framework to address the entire assessment process, including stakeholder involvement and culturally relevant design decisions. Using India's Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) as a case study, Ketan demonstrated how citizen-led assessments can effectively monitor foundational learning in diverse contexts, emphasising grassroots engagement and cultural sensitivity. Kerry S. Englert of Seneca Consulting, USA and Pōhai Kūkea Shultz of University of Hawaii, Mānoa College of Education made a presentation on: “Using a Cultural Lens to Examine Validity Based on Relationships to External Variables”. The presenters emphasised on the importance of using a cultural lens to examine the validity of educational assessments, particularly in contexts like Hawaiian language immersion programs. They highlighted the Kaiapuni Assessment of Educational Outcomes (KĀʻEO) as an example of prioritising equity, community engagement, and cultural relevance over traditional comparisons to external assessments that lack social justice aims. Their study underscored the value of incorporating teachers' perceptions and community partnerships to build evidence for validity while advancing culturally sustaining and innovative assessment practices. The last presentation in this session was by Prof. Robert Stake, a Professor Emeritus, Educational Psychology , University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA, who made a powerful presentation titled: “Judgmental Validity”. Prof. Stake emphasised that the concept of "judgmental validity" in evaluation pertains to the quality and representativeness of a report synthesising an evaluand, beyond traditional psychometric validity measures. He argued that evaluators ensure this validity through collaborative, iterative reviews of language, calculations, and interpretations to faithfully represent cultural contexts and meet practical utility. The key messages coming from his presentation were:
During the lunch break, we had the Edmund W. Gordon Distinguished Lecture and Luncheon which was delivered by Prof. Nelson Flores. Prof. Nelson Flores is a professor in educational linguistics at the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; and affiliated faculty with the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies. The compelling keynote address focused on the intersection of language, race, and colonialism in shaping U.S. educational policies and practices. He highlighted how raciolinguistic ideologies have historically framed the language practices of racialized communities as deficient, perpetuating systemic inequities. Prof. Flores emphasised the need to challenge these colonial logics embedded in bilingual education and educational linguistics, advocating for decolonial approaches that empower racialized bilingual students to redefine their identities beyond deficit narratives. Prof. Flores also discussed how foundational concepts in educational linguistics contribute to harmful policies and practices by reinforcing colonial frameworks. He called for reimagining bilingual education as part of a broader political project aimed at fostering inclusive ways of being and knowing, challenging the white supremacist status quo. After lunch on Day 2, I attended a multi-paper session, in which I was also a presenter. The session was: 3.3: Paper Session – International Evaluation II and run from 2:15pm - 3:45pm. The Session was Chaired by Prof. Joe O’Hara, a Full Professor of Education at Dublin City University, Director – Centre for Evaluation, Quality and Inspection (EQI), President, EASSH and President Elect, World Educational Research Association; while the Discussant was: Martin Brown, also a Professor of Education at Dublin City University in Ireland. Prof. Joe O’Hara led a team made up of Sarah Gardezi, Martin Brown, Gerry McNamara, and Aideen Cassidyfrom the EQI/CREA Dublin City University, Ireland, in making the presentation titled: “‘Who you are can shape what you do’ – Exploring the reality of early school leaving and underachievement in Europe through a culturally responsive lens.” In their presentation, they emphasised the critical role of cultural responsiveness in addressing early school leaving (ESL) and underachievement in Europe, highlighting how systemic cultural dissonance, socioeconomic factors, and teacher expectations disproportionately affect marginalized and culturally diverse students. They advocated for integrative, culturally informed policies and practices—centered on family involvement, inclusive curricula, and professional development for educators—to transform educational systems into equitable spaces that leverage cultural diversity as an asset rather than a deficit.
Using a Case Study of a project funded by the Ford Foundation through EvalIndigenous Global Network, a study titled: “Traditional Decision-Making as Evaluation: Developing Indigenous Evaluation Methodologies with Kenyan Communities – Comparative Study among the Ogiek and the Mijikenda Communities”, I made the following key conclusions from the study:
The Team of Aideen Cassidy, Prof. Joe O’Hara, Anne Rowan from the Centre for Evaluation, Quality and Inspection / CREA / Dublin City University, Ireland, made a presentation on: “Exploring the role played by culture in a University community outreach programme - lessons from the evaluation of an Irish Higher Education initiative.” The presenters evaluated the Community Outreach Programme at the Technical University (TU) of Dublin, emphasising its focus on community-engaged research (CER) to address inequalities in university participation among minority groups through collaboration, mutual respect, and actionable knowledge. They highlighted their key recommendations which include fostering genuine partnerships with community stakeholders, addressing cultural barriers, and empowering underserved communities to ensure sustainable and inclusive engagement in higher education. My next session was 4.3: Paper Session – International Evaluation III. This Session was Chaired by Dr. Gabriel Keney, a recent Doctoral Graduate from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. In the first presentation in this session, Emmanuel Anobir Mensah and Prof. Nesma Osman from the Mississippi State University, United States of America, made a presentation on: “Rethinking Evidence of Effectiveness: A Culturally Responsive Framework for Evaluating Interventions in African Communities.” The presentation was made by Emmanuel, who highlighted the inadequacy of traditional Western evaluation frameworks in capturing the cultural complexities and lived realities of African communities, advocating for culturally responsive approaches that integrate local knowledge, Indigenous practices, and community participation. He proposed practical strategies and highlights case studies to guide practitioners and policymakers in developing inclusive evaluation models that respect African-centered frameworks and foster equity and justice. He anticipates coming up with an all-inclusive framework that not only complements the exisiting ones, but a possibility of harmonising the indigenous evaluation frameworks.
Eunice Oduro and Dr. Gabriel Keney from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, USA, made a presentation on the title: “Exploring Relational Responsibilities of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) in Enhancing Women's Livelihoods in Rural Communities in Ghana.” Drawing on real-life experience from a project implemented in Ghana by CARE International, the presenters highlighted the critical role of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) in improving women's livelihoods in rural Ghana by fostering financial inclusion, economic empowerment, and social benefits such as stronger networks and decision-making power. However, they also emphasised the need for supportive interventions, including financial literacy training and capacity building, to address persistent challenges and maximize the impact of VSLAs on women's economic and social well-being. Day 3 - Friday, 11 April 2025On the third day of the Conference, Friday, 11 April 2025, the first session I attended was: 5.2: Paper Session – Radical Resistance and Transformation in Evaluation. This session was chaired by dr. monique liston, the Executive Director of UBUNTU Research and Evaluation, United States of America. In the first presetation in this Session, Deja Taylor and Koren Dennison, MA both of UBUNTU Research & Evaluation, United States of America, made a presentation on: “Urban Assessments Rooted in Resistance: Reclaiming Our Responsibility of Belonging Through the Built Environment”. The presenters highlighted the need for urban planning to shed historical biases and embrace Black, Brown, and Indigenous perspectives, proposing a paradigm shift rooted in community resilience, creativity, and cultural connection to place. They advocated for decolonizing urban planning practices by amplifying marginalized voices, engaging deeply with community histories, and co-creating spaces that honour past legacies while fostering equitable futures. Kimolee Cowell and Lael-Marie Saez of Artists of Color Unite;and Kimberly Harris of Educa Consulting, USA, made their presentation titled: “The Art of Transformation and Reclamation”. In their presentation, they highlighted the importance of culturally responsive evaluation in addressing systemic inequities in Hartford's arts sector, particularly for artists of color, emphasising relational responsibilities to ensure underrepresented voices are central to the process. They examined the transformative impact of radical inclusion through Community Evaluation methodology, drawing lessons from a partnership between Educa Consulting, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and Artists of Color Unite! to build equitable ecosystems. Koren Dennison, MA of UBUNTU Research and Evaluation; Aurealia Johnson of YWCA Madison, and Prof. Carolina S. Sarmiento of University of Wisconsin, made a presentation on: “Evaluation as a Tool for Liberation”. They highlighted how evaluation can be leveraged as a tool for liberation by utilising inclusive methodologies like photovoice and journey mapping to amplify community voices and lived experiences. Using a Case Study involving UBUNTU and YWCA they demonstrated the impact of participatory evaluation in fostering deeper connections, generating valuable insights, and driving equitable programmatic decisions that align with evolving community needs. dr. monique liston, the Executive Director of UBUNTU Research and Evaluation, in her presentation on: “Radical Relationship Building through Evaluation: A Framework for Practice” fired up the participants by emphasising on the transformative potential of integrating a dignity framework into program evaluations, particularly for equity-focused initiatives. She highlighted how centering humanity, lived experiences, and systemic inequities, this approach fosters inclusive, culturally responsive evaluations that amplify marginalized voices, challenge traditional norms, and drive more equitable and effective outcomes. The audience was all fired up at the end of her presentation, earning her a standing ovation.
The second last session that I attended was 6.3: Paper Session – Relational Positionality in Evaluation.This was on Friday, 11 April 2025 from 10:45am - 12:15pm. The Session was Chaired by Cecilia Vaughn-Guy, from CREA, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; while the Discussant was dr. monique liston, the Executive Director of UBUNTU Research and Evaluation. During this session, a Team from CREA University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, made up of Cecilia Vaughn-Guy, Dr. Anthony B. Sullers Jr., and Cherie Aventorganised a short Panel discussion on: “What do you see when you see me?: Explorations of physical positionality and the impact on evaluation relationships” The Panelists discussed how evaluators’ physical and social positionalities, including visible traits like race, age, and appearance, shape their relationships with evaluation clients, particularly in culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) contexts. Drawing on their experiences and case studies as Black evaluators in predominantly white academic spaces, they highlighted how these positionalities serve as both resources and barriers to building rapport, navigating power dynamics, and advancing social justice in marginalised communities. In the same session, Min Ma from Data+Soul Research, USA presented on a topic titled: ”How do we begin? Practices and Tools for Examining Evaluator Positionality, Assumptions, and Bias”. On her part, she discussed the critical need for evaluators to examine their own positionality, assumptions, and biases, emphasising that unchecked assumptions can lead to blind spots and flawed decision-making, particularly when influenced by underlying stereotypes. She highlighted practical tools and approaches for fostering introspection and dialogue within evaluation teams, aiming to honour diverse expertise and create conditions for more equitable and contextually informed evaluation practices. The third presentation in the session came from dr. monique liston from UBUNTU Research and Evaluation, USA titled: “To Pimp a Butterfly: Afrofuturist Relationship Building to use Evaluation for Liberation”. Firing up the participants with music and dance, she highlighted how Kendrick Lamar’s music, particularly “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “DAMN”, serves as a model for an Afrofuturist evaluation framework that centers Black resilience, trauma, healing, and transcendence, urging evaluators to prioritise lived experiences, cultural identity, and speculative re-imagination over traditional quantitative measures. She argued that integrating Afrofuturist principles into evaluation practices – such as dignity, relational responsibility, and artistic expression – can transform evaluations into tools for liberation, justice, and the envisioning of empowered Black futures. The fourth presentation in the session was by Deja Taylor and Koren Dennison from UBUNTU Research & Evaluation, USA; Radaya Ellis from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; and Ryeshia Farmer from African American Roundtable (AART), jointly presenting on: “Decolonizing Needs Assessments Through Asset Based Community Development: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Community Power Building”. In this presentation, they discussed a 14-month participatory asset mapping project in Milwaukee’s Northwest side that used a culturally responsive, strengths-based approach, centered on Afrofuturist Evaluation, to elevate Black residents’ voices and cultural perspectives in community assessment. Key strategies highlighted included engaging local elders as “Knowledge Keepers,” training community members as co-investigators, and using interactive mapping tools to visualize community assets, ultimately offering practical guidance for equity-focused, culturally grounded evaluation and power building. The final session was the Closing luncheon, during which time, Dr. Warren Chapman delivered his closing Keynote, titled: “Movements and Rivers”. Dr. Chapman has served as the Chief Advancement Officer at the Chicago Lighthouse; Senior Vice President and Interim Vice President for Institutional Development at Columbia College Chicago; Vice Chancellor for External Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Vice President and National Philanthropic Advisor at JP Morgan Chase; President of the Bank One Foundation; and Lead Program Officer at the Joyce Foundation. As a visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Education, he taught graduate courses in sociology of education and educational leadership. In his closing remarks, Dr. Chapman emphasised that Culturally Responsive Evaluation (CRE) is a dynamic, ever-evolving force that shapes and is shaped by the diverse cultural landscapes it encounters, much like a river carving new paths and nourishing all it touches. He called on evaluators to embrace this fluidity and relational responsibility, urging them to actively challenge inequities and translate evidence into meaningful action that uplifts and transforms communities  10 – Shining Home and Away – African participants shining at the CREA Conference My key take-aways and message from my participation at the CREA VIII Conference can be summed as follows:
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