“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” ― Jiddu Krishnamurti

Introductions…they’re not on my list of favorites. Identifying who I am to strangers and new acquaintances—regardless of whether it’s personal or professional—requires a certain element of vulnerability, something which isn’t always comfortable for a reserved and private person such as myself. So who am I? I have many identities. I am a Christian. I am a mother. I am a daughter, sister, wife, colleague, friend. I am an educator. I am a leader.

I know what I am not. I am not a blogger…well, at least not yet. (If I don’t look forward to introductions, imagine how I feel about recording my thoughts, opinions, and reflections on the Internet for a world-wide audience of people whom I’ve never met!) I have spent too much time over the past several days psyching myself up for this debut. I’ve obsessed about what to call my blog because it needs to be witty and catchy, right? I’ve worried about whether my writing style will be adequately interesting yet professional and polished.

But here I am. I’m jumping in to this arena because I am a life-long learner and change agent. Being a catalyst for change requires adding my voice to the dialogue in a public way.

My professional background has mostly been in education in the classroom, in school administration, and now in non-profit work. I taught English for middle and high school students for several years and served as a Vice Principal for Academics responsible for overseeing the school-wide academic programming and teacher development. Currently, I work for a small non-profit foundation whose mission is to provide educational programming and support to underserved children and youth. The various experiences I have had in these roles have increased my interest in developing effective systems for building human capital (particularly leadership) within organizations, establishing consistent and sustainable operations, and strategically implementing and measuring various initiatives.

I am currently pursuing my PhD in Education with a specialization in Assessment, Evaluation, and Accountability. Although most of my focus has been within education and schools, I appreciate how the learning I have experienced thus far can be applied to multiple fields and contexts.

As a scholar-practitioner and change agent, I have a moral and ethical responsibility to observe and acquire information from the world around me, critically evaluate data and draw conclusions, and appropriately apply findings to various contexts (American, 2011; Association, 2012; Golde, 2006). I cannot rely on my perspectives alone, however, because regardless of how objective I may intend to be, my experiences, surroundings, and values influence the lens through which I see the world (American, 2011, Creswell, 2013; Patton, 2015). Collaborating with other experts and thought partners within the profession is essential for effective assessment and evaluation because credibility and validity is increased through involving multiple cultural perspectives (American, 2011; Patton, 2015).

The American Evaluation Association (2011) has identified that culturally competent evaluators do the following:

• “recognize, respond to, and work to reconcile differences between and within cultures”;
• “avoid reinforcing cultural stereotypes and prejudice”;
• “are thoughtful and deliberate in their use of language [and interactions] in order to reduce bias”;
• “seek to understand how the constructs [of theories and methods] are defined by cultures”; and
• are continuously self-reflective.

As a practitioner, leader, and fellow citizen, I must remain cognizant of my moral, ethical, and social responsibilities. Understanding and applying the guidelines established for assessment and evaluation practitioners will help me remain focused on providing accurate, transparent, and fair assessments that are thoughtful and representative of diverse communities.

References

American Evaluation Association. (2011). Public statement on cultural competence in evaluation. Retrieved from
http://www.eval.org/aea.culutrally.competent.evaluation.statement.pdf.

Association of College and Research Libraries. (2012). Introduction to information literacy. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ala.org/acrl/issues/infolit/overview/intro

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Golde, C. (2006). Preparing stewards of the discipline. In C. M. Golde & G. E. Walker (Eds.), Envisioning the future of doctoral education: Preparing stewards of the discipline (pp. 3-20). Stanford, CA: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.