In recent years, the conversation around equity has expanded from education and health into the broader realm of social services, emphasizing the need for approaches that account for diverse perspectives. One such approach is Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation (CREE, link will download a pdf.), which integrates cultural, historical, and contextual factors into program evaluation to ensure that the services provided truly meet the needs of the communities they serve. As a framework, CREE is changing how social services are administered, promoting equity at every stage of the evaluation process.
In this post, we’ll break down the core principles of CREE, explore its implications for the administration of social services, and offer practical insights for professionals in the field.
What Is Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation?
CREE isn’t just a one-size-fits-all method of evaluating programs. Instead, it’s an approach that acknowledges the importance of culture, equity, and participation in every phase of program evaluation. It starts by recognizing that evaluators, like everyone else, carry their own cultural perspectives into their work. For this reason, culturally responsive evaluation means more than just collecting data—it involves actively considering how cultural, structural, and historical contexts shape both the communities being served and the interventions being implemented.
The principle of equity lies at the heart of CREE. Unlike traditional evaluations, which may overlook the voices of marginalized communities, CREE shifts power by involving these communities in the design, implementation, and analysis of evaluations. This participatory process not only helps ensure that evaluations are relevant to those most impacted but also advances social justice by challenging historical inequities.
Why Does CREE Matter for Social Services?
For social service professionals, the relevance of CREE extends far beyond academic discussions. The way programs are evaluated directly impacts the resources, policies, and interventions that communities receive. Evaluations often serve as the blueprint for decision-making—determining which programs succeed, which ones fail, and where funding is allocated. Therefore, it’s critical that these evaluations accurately reflect the needs and voices of those they aim to serve.
Imagine you’re running a social service program aimed at improving healthcare access in underserved communities. A traditional evaluation might focus purely on quantitative metrics, such as how many people signed up for the service or attended a health clinic. But numbers alone don’t tell the full story. What if cultural barriers or historical mistrust of the healthcare system prevented some people from accessing these services? What if the program didn’t fully consider the diverse linguistic needs of the community?
This is where CREE comes into play. By engaging the community early in the evaluation process and continuously throughout, CREE allows you to uncover deeper insights—insights that numbers alone can’t reveal. These might include community members’ concerns about systemic racism in healthcare, the need for culturally sensitive communication, or the importance of historical context, such as past discriminatory practices that contribute to present-day disparities.
The Importance of Power Sharing and Participation
A key component of CREE is power sharing. In many traditional evaluations, the “evaluators” come in as external experts, administer a set of predetermined tools, collect data, and produce a report. This top-down approach often alienates communities, particularly those that have been historically underserved. In contrast, CREE emphasizes collaboration between evaluators and community members.
Rather than imposing an external agenda, CREE involves stakeholders at every stage—from defining the purpose of the evaluation to interpreting the data. This creates space for meaningful input, fostering trust and ensuring that the results are both valid and actionable. This participatory process leads to more accurate findings and helps social service professionals design interventions that truly resonate with the community.
Actionable Insight #1: When administering social services, involve community representatives in the evaluation process from the outset. Their lived experiences can provide invaluable context that will improve program design and delivery.
Practical Implications for Program Implementation
One of the most valuable aspects of CREE is that it is not bound to a specific methodology. Instead, it is an adaptable approach that can be integrated into various evaluation techniques, whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. This flexibility is particularly useful in social services, where programs often address complex and multifaceted issues such as housing insecurity, healthcare access, or education disparities.
For example, when collecting data for a social service program aimed at reducing homelessness, CREE would require evaluators to adapt their instruments to the community’s unique cultural and socioeconomic contexts. This could involve using multiple languages, accounting for historical experiences of discrimination in housing, or recognizing how different cultural groups experience homelessness differently. By using tools that resonate with the community’s reality, you’ll get more accurate data, leading to more targeted and effective interventions.
Actionable Insight #2: Customize your evaluation tools to reflect the cultural and historical contexts of the community you’re serving. This will increase the accuracy of your findings and improve program outcomes.
How CREE Can Help Correct Misinterpretation of Data
Ignoring culture and equity in evaluations can lead to significant consequences, such as misinterpreting data or failing to reach key stakeholders. This misinterpretation doesn’t just affect how a program is perceived—it can have real-world implications for funding, resource allocation, and policy decisions. Programs that don’t seem effective on paper might actually be addressing crucial issues that aren’t being captured by traditional evaluation methods.
For instance, a program aimed at improving mental health services in a Black or Indigenous community may appear unsuccessful if measured solely by attendance rates at therapy sessions. However, if the evaluation accounts for historical trauma, mistrust of medical institutions, and the community’s preference for alternative forms of healing, a different picture might emerge. This broader understanding can help refine the program’s approach and communicate its value to stakeholders more effectively.
Actionable Insight #3: When analyzing data from social service programs, make sure you account for cultural nuances and historical contexts to avoid misinterpretation.
Moving Forward: Making CREE a Standard Practice in Social Services
The principles of CREE are essential for advancing equity in social services. When applied effectively, CREE can lead to more accurate, inclusive, and actionable evaluations—ensuring that social service programs truly serve the communities they are meant to support.
For professionals in the field, embracing CREE means recognizing that evaluation is not just a technical exercise but a culturally embedded practice that reflects the values, needs, and experiences of the community. By integrating CREE into your program evaluations, you’ll not only improve the effectiveness of your services but also contribute to the broader movement for social justice and equity.
Actionable Insight #4: Consider adopting CREE as a framework for all your evaluations. Its focus on equity and cultural responsiveness will ensure that your social service programs are both effective and just.
Conclusion
Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation isn’t just about gathering data—it’s about making sure that data reflects the full reality of the communities being served. For social service professionals, applying CREE means more than just improving programs—it’s about creating a system that is truly equitable and responsive to the needs of all individuals, particularly those who have been historically marginalized.
By focusing on cultural context, equity, and power-sharing, CREE offers a roadmap for more meaningful and effective program evaluations, helping you deliver services that make a real difference in people’s lives.