Resources in this section provide an overview of some of the common terms used in evaluation, as well as overviews of traditional evaluation methods. When reviewing these, it is useful to also keep in mind two particular issues not always addressed in evaluation resources. One has to do with setting reasonable expectations for progress, acknowledging the depth and interwoven nature of structural racism. The other has to do with trying to predict which changes a group observes in the short term are likely to predict positive outcomes in the long-term, given the likelihood of resistance and retrenchment.

Both of these issues are particularly challenging because racism has never been eliminated in the United States, so as a society we do not know exactly what it will take to meet many racial equity goals, and we do not know exactly what short-term outcomes will lead to longer term ones.