Navigating Contested Waters: Teaching Evaluation for Social Change in Turbulent Times

In the midst of a global polycrisis, all educators are grappling with the growing challenge of fostering critical thinking and socially aware practices under heightened scrutiny. As evaluation educators, we are uniquely positioned at the intersection of academia and societal change. Societal pressures increasingly constrain the language we use to describe core concepts tied to justice and human dignity. Therefore, educators must find new ways to uphold the integrity of their teaching—often without relying on conventional terminology. Three of us, evaluation educators, will share experiences, reflections, and strategies for maintaining integrity in the face of institutional and/or social resistance. We will explore what it means to teach for justice when justice itself is contested. Attendees will be invited to contribute their reflections, and together, we will co-create a set of actionable takeaways to sustain and amplify critical conversations that move us toward a more just and humane world.
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