1. Lisa Raphael Laura Costello Jack Lumbley Melissa Dodson SEDL
Collaborative Capacity Building: A Positive Psychology Perspective for Evaluation
Lisa Raphael
Laura Costello
Jack Lumbley
Melissa Dodson
SEDL
Introduce ourselves.
Research and evaluation at SEDL, in Austin, Texas.

2. Who we are…. SEDL Comprehensive Centers (CCs)
State Department of Education Staff (SDEs)
Internal Evaluators
Private, nonprofit corporation
Provide mix of educational research, resources, and professional development to states, districts, and schools.
One of primary projects at SEDL is to serve as internal evaluators for the The Comprehensive Centers’ (CCs) program work in Texas and the Southeast regions.
CC Program Staff carry out this work and we evaluate that work
Goal of Comprehensive Centers is to build state department of education staffs’ capacity by providing technical assistance and professional development to support districts and schools.
The comprehensive centers are federally funded through the Department of Education.
We are just starting a new contract of work after a 7-year funding cycle.

3. What brings us here today?
Share our Journey
How we developed our capacity building model
What we’ve learned in the process
Changes we have created
Gain Feedback
Tools and resources
We have developed a model to represent the capacity building process. We would like to not only share our model but how we have progressed in developing our model, etc…
We would also like to gain feedback from you about issues related to using our model.

4. Goal of Comprehensive Centers
Our journey…
What is SEDL’s approach to capacity building?
Goal of Comprehensive Centers
Capacity Building?
Initial
Logic Model
Our journey in developing our model started with:
CC goal = build capacity
No clear guidelines from the Department of Education on how to build capacity
Conversations among CC directors and other SEDL staff, especially R&E staff about capacity building
Development of initial model in R&E

5. Our journey continued…
Does our initial model truly capture SEDL’s approach to capacity building?
Re-examine initial model
Wanted to find out more info….

6. What we liked about model:
Broke work down into four stages, Prep, Plan, Impl, Sust
Represented a process to capacity building
Activities connected to outcomes
Takes into account contextual factors
Specific to the work of the comprehensive centers
Some issues with this model:
As looked back on interview data
Something about the way SEDL and clients interact that wasn’t represented in this model

7. Our journey continued…
How can we best represent SEDL’s approach to capacity building?
Re-examine initial model
Data collection from CC staff and SDE clients
We wanted to find out more information from CC staff and SDE clients about SEDL’s approach to capacity building.

8. What We Learned from Interview Data:
Guiding Principles for SEDL’s Capacity Building Process
Valuing and learning from each other’s individual and organizational strengths
Building knowledge and skills that promote sustainable change
Developing and enhancing internal and external partnerships
Responding and adapting to contextual factors
From our interviews with CC staff and SDE clients
Realized:
Four guiding principles that situate our model
Strengths play a role in how CC staff and SDE clients work together to build capacity

9. Our journey continued…
What does the research literature say?
Re-examine initial model
Data collection from CC staff and SDE clients
Review the literature
Next, we reviewed the capacity building and positive psychology literatures.

10. What we learned from the literature
Positive Psychology:
A Strengths-Based Approach
Positivity in organizations
Focus on what works
Identify and build upon strengths
Considers assets, talents, capabilities, capacities, skills, abilities, resources, and aspirations
(Donaldson & Ko, 2010; Ko & Donaldson, 2011; Linley et al., 2011; Linley, Harrington, & Garcea, 2010)
Capacity Building
Type of change process
Building upon current strengths and resources
Collaboration
Increasing collective power and sustainability
(Crisp et al., 2000; Fullan, 2004; Harsh, 2010; Maiese, 2005; Weiner, 2009)
The definitions that seem to fit with SEDL’s approach to Capacity building involves:
A type of change process that occurs at the individual- and organizational levels
Building upon strengths and resources that are already present within an organization
It is a collaborative/collective process
Outcome in mind = to increasing the collective power of an organization to sustain the work that is trying to be accomplished
Within the PP literature:
Found information about a Strengths-Based Approach to organizations, which focused on
Positivity in organizations and different types of strengths
We saw a connection between these two sets of literature
Aligned with what staff and clients told us!

11. Re-examine initial model
Data collection from CC staff and SDE clients
Review the literature
Create a new model

12. “The whole idea of capacity is turning great ideas that we’ve learned and SEDL learned from across the country into action…”
–SDE client
Quote exemplified what we were thinking about as we create a new model

13. Strengths-Based Approach in CCB Model
Processes
Identifying problems, needs, goals, priorities, and strengths
Facilitating partnerships
Documenting and compiling tools and resources
As you can see, Infusion of strengths throughout the model (processes)

14. Strengths-Based Approach in CCB Model
Short-Term Outcomes
Long-Term Outcomes
Consensus of problems, goals, needs, priorities, and strengths
Increased awareness of relevant expertise, processes, and structures to support project work
Partnerships established with relevant partners and organizations
Increased awareness of expertise and resources available internally and with external partners
Efficient organizational structures that promote coordinated and effective organizational change
Strengthened and sustained partnerships that impact multiple programs and policies
And outcomes.
Collaboration is more than just working together. It involves recognizing and building upon strengths to create sustainable change.

15. Change takes time…
Current model incorporates a strengths-based approach to capacity building
Institutional buy-in essential
As internal evaluators, we are uniquely positioned to facilitate change in our organization
Throughout this process, we learned that change take time.
This has been a learning process for not only our unit but our entire organization.
We have encountered some resistance to the notion of strengths even within our unit.
We have had to defend why this model includes strengths.
Thankfully management bought into this model & helped create this change.
We’ve realize the impact we can have as internal evaluators in our organizations. Not just collecting and reporting data, but uniquely positioned….
Although we have a strengths-based model,

16. The change we have created…
Shaping how SEDL as an institution defines and depicts capacity building
Using the model as a programmatic and evaluation tool
Institutionalizing the approach
Shaping…
Through a strengths based approach
Using the model as a programmatic and evaluation tool
Gathering data using interview protocols that ask about strengths
Year 1 evaluation planning
Developing tools to use the model
This model has made a significant impact on SEDL as an institution
-Used it in proposals
-Part of strategic plan
-Communication about model to SEDL board
-Approach being applied to other SEDL projects, (technical assistance to range of clients and across subject areas)

17. Next steps —open to feedback
Getting more staff and clients on board/Creating more awareness within and outside SEDL
Tools evaluation and program staff can actually use—developed collaboratively
Continue to redefine our roles as internal evaluators
How evaluation contributes to organizational learning and change

18. Thank you!