The Transformative Praxis Lab: Environmental Equity Evaluation
​
Wild Rose Education establishes The Transformative Praxis Lab at the intersection of action, rigor, and equity. Our organizational mission is to move individuals toward "becoming what can be", and this Lab is the critical engine ensuring that environmental programs lead to measurable, just, and sustained change.
​
This practice fuses the rigor of educational theory with equitable application, supporting WRE's core goal of teaching people 'how to see' and 'how to take action in the world'.
Anchoring Evaluation in Action and Equity
The Lab is grounded in the principles of Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation (CREE) and systematically applies WRE’s methodology for transformation.
Praxis: Fusing Theory with Application
Praxis is our commitment to merging program design (theory) with equitable data methods (application) to achieve transformative outcomes. We begin by developing or describing a clear theory of change for our clients, applying a "systems lens" to systematically query assumptions and ensure strategies focus on root causes rather than just symptoms, advancing environmental and community equity.
Lab: Systematic Rigor and Learning
The Lab signifies a rigorous, systematic approach to measurement and continuous learning. We define quality evaluation by balancing technical mechanics with the crucial socio-political, ethical, and community considerations. This focus supports the value of the ongoing journey, fostering continuous growth and critical reflection on biases.
Equitable Methods: Deep Curiosity
We practice deep curiosity, drawing on multiple perspectives and methods responsive to local cultures, histories, and traditions. This includes valuing contexts, integrating diverse forms of knowledge (including Indigenous knowledges), and utilizing culturally appropriate methods such as interviews, drawings, or photovoice—moving beyond traditional, closed-ended surveys.
Community-Centered: Authentic Engagement
We prioritize authentic engagement, which mandates collaboration, inclusivity, and capacity building. This means co-creating the evaluation plan with community partners and ensuring ethical practice, including appropriate compensation for partners, recognizing that investment builds trust. We are also committed to language justice, recognizing the fundamental right of everyone to communicate in the language they feel most comfortable with.
Driving Transformation: From Data to Collective Action
The ultimate purpose of the WRE Transformative Praxis Lab is to mobilize action and lasting systemic change. To translate evaluation findings into influence and advocacy, we utilize Data Walks, an innovative and effective methodology for sharing research findings with program participants and stakeholders.
A Data Walk is an interactive process that converts traditional research dissemination into Authentic Engagement. Participants, including youth, educators, and community members, jointly review displays of information—which can be numerical (surveys) or non-numerical (narrative, visual)—in small, collaborative groups.
This methodology achieves critical TPL goals by:
-
Leveling Power Dynamics: Data Walks demystify technical evaluation jargon, helping community members gain ownership of the data through collaborative interpretation.
-
Enriching Analysis through Deep Curiosity: Participants apply their lived experiences and contextual knowledge to interpret findings, enabling a robust analysis that grounds objective evaluation in diverse perspectives.
-
Building Capacity for Action: The process builds the capacity of individuals (including youth participants) to read and interpret complex data, empowering them with the tools to ground their personal experiences and observations in evidence.
-
Inspiring Collective Environmental Action: By reviewing results together, stakeholders collectively identify challenges and strengths, leading directly to the development of intentional programmatic recommendations and motivating them to take civic action to address environmental issues.
By utilizing Data Walks, the Transformative Praxis Lab ensures that evaluation leads to dialogue and the creation of usable knowledge, enabling youth and community agents to influence better environmental policies and program strategies.