Doing Research and Evaluation in Service of Racial Equity is an Act of Courageous Optimism

This is the first installment of a 12-part blog series discussing doing evaluation in service of racial equity as part of a collaboration with the Kellogg Foundation* 

The Courageous Choices of Researchers and Evaluators

We don’t typically think of researchers and evaluators as courageous actors who make tough choices in the day-to-day decisions in their work. The popular stereotypes have us sitting in front of computers typing away, or in white lab coats, wearing goggles and looking into a Petri dish. These images, along with dominant narratives about science being objective and neutral, distract from the reality of the work. The fact is that as human beings conducting research—an inherently social endeavor—we all bring our biases and subjectivity as we conduct research and evaluations. We know that objectivity is an illusion that reifies the notion that researchers and evaluators can deliver an unbiased truth about the world.

In our experience as researchers and evaluators, we make multiple decisions that have a bearing on what evidence is developed, how we make sense of data, and how we create narratives about social phenomena. Being able to note the social nature of research in our practice is important. Our work is better when we are self-aware and build in strategies to ensure that our research and evaluation practices do not reproduce inequities, that they mitigate biases, and that we reflect on the practical implications of the findings.

Redefining Research and Evaluation for Racial Equity

Embracing this more complex view of researchers/evaluators is necessary to use research and evaluation as tools to advance racial equity and social justice. To say that research and evaluation can and should be tools used to advance racial equity takes courage. This statement chips away at the illusion of objectivity that implicitly and explicitly links objectivity to rigor and notions of "good" research/evaluation. Acknowledging that social context and personal experience color how we do research requires us to dig deeper than being aware of the possible misuse of research, for example, to further a political agenda. We need to do the work of uncovering our deeply held beliefs about how the world works and be attentive to how those beliefs might show up in our own framing of research questions, methodological approaches, or decisions about disseminating findings.

When we assert that research and evaluation can themselves be tools for advancing racial equity and social justice, we are going against deeply held orthodoxies about what research and evaluation ought to be. We know this, and we believe that part of the changing how research is done is about making these shifts in our practice more visible as a way to normalize new practices.

We are optimistic about our ability to evolve our practices and the role that researchers and evaluators can play in using science to improve the human condition. This includes advancing racial equity and social justice. Many of us can and are already balancing these tensions—the belief that we can move to practices in ways that do not reproduce inequities in the research process, while still adhering to a more-nuanced, expanded definition of rigor—one that factors in context, learning, and applicability.

And we also know that we cannot and should not “go it alone.”  

Growing A Community

As a way to continue our own learning, the Center for Equity and Social Justice Research within RTI's Transformative Research Unit for Equity (TRUE) is launching a summer series, Equity as Practice, that will focus on sharing diverse perspectives, practical considerations, and thought pieces on how to do research and evaluation in service of racial equity and social justice. Our purpose is to make visible some of the real day-to-day considerations that come up when you center equity in your research and evaluation practices. Sharing this type of insight is important because it contributes to a broader field of knowledge about what transformative research/evaluation looks like in action, and it supports efforts to grow a community of scholars who are committed to developing their practices with the goal of leveraging research and evaluation as powerful tools to advance racial equity and social justice.

We see this evolution as necessary if our work is to advance science-based solutions that positively impact well-being around the globe.

Equity-as-Practice Series

In this series, we will honestly discuss the challenges and opportunities of conducting equity-centered research and evaluation. We will explore topics that come up frequently in our practice and how we are grappling with them.

For instance, if you find yourself wondering about topics such as:

• What does it mean to center racial equity in your research practice? What is the difference between making research more inclusive vs. transforming how research is done?
• Is science ever truly objective or universal? And if not, what is the value of research projects and evaluations that tackle subjectivity and bias head on?
• What is the difference between engaging communities in research as partners and designing and inclusive research/evaluation design?
• What is the role of advocacy in centering equity in research and evaluation?

…then we invite you to join and to reach out to tell us what you think. This series is hosted by TRUE’s Center for Equity and Social Justice Research. We are also collaborating with others across RTI and beyond. Partnerships with others who are similarly committed to this view of the power of research are a critical part of how we are driving impact. 

We are also thrilled to be collaborating with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, a national leader working to advance racial equity and support thriving, equitable communities.* The Kellogg Foundation has a long history of investing in innovative research and evaluation projects and field-building initiatives. In 2021, they released three how-to practice guides that continue to resonate and inform innovative evaluation practices. These guides, along with other key resources, such as RTI’s equity-centered research framework, have already been helpful.

We recognize that there are many tools and frameworks out there that can be useful. When appropriate, we will share resources and point out examples. We take the view that it is important to test out new and reconfigured tools and frameworks. The complexity of social problems requires it. We also need to be willing to call out when our frameworks work, when they fall short, and when they simply don’t fit. Embracing the fact that no single right way exists is freeing and can help us stay focused on how using research and evaluation to advance racial equity and social justice is not a project but a practice that requires concerted effort to improve.

Learn more about RTI's work in equity-centered research and our Transformative Research Unit for Equity (TRUE).

*A note on collaboration

The purpose of our collaboration is to make time and space to share insights related to our aim of transforming traditional research practices in service of advancing racial equity and social justice. However, the views expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent the views of any partner organizations, including the Kellogg Foundation.