Organizational Learning & Evaluation Capacity Building
Loraine Park, MSW
Director, Learning & Evaluation
ECMC Foundation, United States
Loraine Park, MSW
Director, Learning & Evaluation
ECMC Foundation, United States
Ashlie Denton, PhD
Principal Researcher, Equitable Learning Environments
Education Northwest, United States
Nicole Jolly, MA (she/her/hers)
Managing Director
Equivolve
Location: White River Ballroom A
Abstract Information: Theories of change are often the beginning of an evaluative learning journey. While they are clearly useful for guiding the design of an evaluation, they can also be useful tools for organizational learning, identifying root causes and systems change levers, and coming to agreement on the key elements of a program or initiative. Beyond being a helpful tool or product, the process of co-developing a theory of change can support building consensus across multiple stakeholders and collaborators involved in implementation. In this session, we apply concepts from equitable evaluation, systems thinking, human-centered design, and utilization-focused evaluation to guide a funder through the theory of change development process for initiatives in postsecondary settings focused on men of color and addressing basic needs insecurity. This demonstration will include tools and resources that can be used to develop theories of change or theories of action for large-scale, multi-site initiatives that seek to address persistent systemic issues. It will provide: 1) tools to build group consensus on the root causes of the issue; and 2) sample processes for developing a theory of change or action along with high level guiding questions and equity considerations. We will share best practices that were identified for building inclusive processes and discuss the time commitments of these processes.
Relevance Statement: A theory of change describes the effects interventions are expected to have (Funnell and Rogers, 2011) and can be a tool for guiding the design of an evaluation, especially how and why something is expected to change and indicators of success. Beyond this, theories of change can also be helpful program design tools and support building consensus across multiple stakeholders about the direction and implementation of an effort. Both the process and the product can be beneficial. In the process, those leading the program or initiative have an opportunity to reflect on: “whose views and voices are included,” “who makes key decisions about the conceptual model;” and “how to explicitly identify and mitigate or eliminate historic biases that harm certain groups and prevent results from being realized by all.” (Gienapp and Hostetter, 2022) ECMC Foundation is a nationally-focused foundation working to improve higher education for career success among underserved populations through evidence-based innovation. In late 2022, ECMC Foundation announced a new strategic framework focused on systematic change within postsecondary education and defined three strategic priorities: removing barriers to postsecondary completion; building the capacity of institutions, systems and organizations; and transforming the postsecondary ecosystem. In addition to reserving funds for strategically responsive grants and investments, ECMC Foundation also identified five initiatives in which the Foundation has allocated multi-year investments. Developing a theory of change (or action) became an integral part of the initiative development processes. In this session participants will learn about the process that ECMC Foundation and their learning partners, Education Northwest and Equivolve, utilized to develop the theory of action for their Basic Needs and Men of Color Initiatives. ECMC Foundation partnered with Education Northwest to develop a theory of change to learn from the entire portfolio of over 30 grants in the Basic Needs Initiative. The theory of change, developed through interactive discussion, will inform future investments and help ECMC Foundation articulate the goals of the portfolio, including the student- and systems-level outcomes that it aims to change. Education Northwest will share their process, sample materials, and guiding questions to facilitate the development of a theory of change or theory of action. Utilizing group model building, Equivolve Consulting worked in partnership with the ECMC Foundation and an intermediary co-create a theory of change that visualizes root causes of inequity, contextual factors that can influence implementation and outcomes, and core strategies for advancing equitable outcomes among the populations of focus. In this demonstration, Equivolve will guide participants through a tool to conduct root cause analysis. The process of identifying root causes of an issue helps to develop strategies that are designed to mitigate those root causes and, ideally, shift the direction of outcomes for the individuals benefiting from them.