Chapter 4: An Analysis of Love my Children: Rose Butler Browne’s Contributions to Culturally Responsive Evaluation

As with any practice, there are associated theories, methods, and historical contexts. Culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) exists as a unique practice within the larger field of program evaluation. Unfortunately, missing from the historical annals of CRE are the voices of early culturally responsive evaluators whose contributions were instrumental in shaping the field. Rodney Hopson (Hopson & Hood, 2005) and Stafford Hood (2001) have made an extensive effort to identify African American men and women engaged in culturally responsive practices when undertaking educational research and evaluation prior to and since the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Providing current and aspiring evaluators with knowledge of CRE’s historical foundation further explicates and defines this emerging practice by addressing such questions as What is the history of CRE? Who are the individuals and communities who helped to define it? How did culture influence their evaluation or research practice? What are the practical and theoretical contributions of their work?