From Policy to Practice: A Case Study of the Office of Indian Health Services' Evaluation Policy

• In Event: Research on Evaluation SIG Session

Abstract

In March of 2018, the Office of Indian Health Services released an evaluation policy to institutionalizes its principles and practices around evaluation. Underlying the policy’s stipulated goals, methodological approaches, and intended use are beliefs about how knowledge is constructed and measured. Evaluation in the federal sector is often viewed as a tool for ensuring accountability. In contrast, policy development processes that actively integrate Indigenous knowledge, values, and experiences disrupt colonial assumptions and frame policy messages in Indigenous knowledge paradigms. Drawing on interviews with federal policymakers, evaluators, and program staff, this presentation describes how culturally responsive approaches can be infused into policy content, as well as the consequences of implementing a policy that is not culturally or contextually appropriate.

Author

• Emi Fujita-Conrads, Education Northwest