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This paper, while a commentary on Professor Stanfield’s plenary presentation, is as much a critique of how evaluation researchers, the larger profession, and professional organizations come to terms with research on, issues about, and interests that impact people (and scholars) of color. First, I suggest that we revisit minority issues within a broader context of our American educational and social structure. Second, I focus on ways to create institutional change, such as through recruiting and mentoring junior evaluation researchers of color and from other underrepresented groups. Hardly complete, the ideas in this commentary are intended to highlight encouraging vehicles and initiatives from other educational scholars and peer associations, in the hope of contributing to the rethinking of minority issues in evaluation.

In this quote from a keynote address at the 2004 conference of the European Evaluation Society, Ernie House underscores a critical dimension of contemporary evaluation of social and educational programs and policies. Evaluation does not exist in some vacuum, unencumbered by or unresponsive to the social, political, and moral character of the larger social and political order or to the particular socio-political dynamics of the study setting. Rather, evaluators are fully situated in the context of study and thus in the politics, cultures, and social interactions of the setting in which their study occurs. Evaluators are also imbued with value commitments that shape the driving logic or theory of their study methodology and results. Evaluation exists within social structures and systems, inextricably tied to particular social and institutional structures and practices. In short, evaluation is fundamentally constituted by and helps to reconstitute the contexts in which it is conducted. Nowhere is this more evident than in educational settings, especially urban settings where diverse (and sometimes diverging) and varied agendas can provide dynamic yet challenging contexts. So what are the key characteristics and dynamics of current urban education settings in North America, particularly the United States? What challenges are facing urban schools today, and what creative ideas, assets, and innovations are being offered to balance these challenges? Current trends in urban education systems and communities feature the key themes of accountability, empowerment, and civic engagement. A vision for evaluation in

The peculiar philosophy of contemporary justice and its accompanying reforms to rehabilitate the system have had contradictory effects on juveniles of color. The unique issues that affect these youth go beyond the traditional questions and concerns that have plagued the juvenile court for 100 years; instead, the problem of youth criminality, deviance, and discipline for juveniles of color compounded with historical debates and discussions reveal pecularities around the issue of sentencing youth as adults when exposed to ideology, hegemony, and race. The problem of juvenile crime and justice for the juvenile of color is a particular one that only highlights the recurring criticisms of the juvenile court in recent years, illustrative through critical race theory and recurrent trends, patterns, and selected cases. Having commemorated its centennial anniversary in 1999 amidst unprecedented criticisms and attacks, the American juvenile court is characterized by supporters as in need of major repair and by opponents as in need of abolishment. That the juvenile court is being perceived by both proponents and opponents as a system gone awry is revealing, typifying the uphill battle around juvenile justice reform in this country. The juvenile crime and juvenile justice problem in the United States is a multilayered and complex one, exacerbated by what Feld (1999) portrays as the larger society's desire to "get tough" as evidenced by the "public frustration with crime, fear of recent increases in youth violence, homicide and offenses involving guns, and the racial characteristics of many violent youth offenders" (p. 189). The trends in juvenile delinquency and crime, by most estimates, indicate that the seriousness of youth criminality and the number of adjudicated juveniles has reached epidemic proportions. Some of the most vivid statistics and profiles of our nation's youth reinforce Feld's (1999) characterizations: An increase of state juvenile court delinquency caseloads (in 1994, up 280% from 1960); The concentrated nature of juveniles in custody in states such as California, Ohio, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois; An astronomical number of arrests (3 million) of persons under 18 years of age; A 70% increase of juveniles transferred to adult court between the late 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s; Disproportionate numbers of African Americans and Native Americans arrested and processed through the justice system; and The growing number of violent cases handled by juvenile courts and the more violent nature of juveniles (Butts, 1997; Moone, 1997; Parent, Dunworth, McDonald, & Rhodes, 1997; Poe-Yamagata, 1997; Scalia, 1997; Sickmund, Snyder, & Poe-Yamagata, 1997,1997; Snyder, 1997; Snyder & Sickmund, 1999). While these statistics paint a grim picture of the juvenile crime and juvenile justice problem in the United States, a racial double standard haunts the juvenile justice system in its treatment and incarceration of African American youths. These youth offenders find that "get tough" laws in the last couple of decades have become even tougher on them. They find themselves at a distinct disadvantage in their efforts to receive equal protection under the law and the right to effective counsel. As a result, they matriculate to a criminal justice system that mirrors the juvenile one (Daly, 1994; Fagan, Slaughter, & Hartstone, 1987; Federle & Chesney-Lind, 1992; Krebs, 1999; Nolan, 1997; Sampson & Lauritsen, 1997; Tonry, 1994). We argue, much like Le Flore (1987), that the peculiar philosophy of contemporary justice and its accompanying reforms to rehabilitate the system have had contradictory effects on juveniles of color. The unique issues that affect these youth go beyond traditional questions and concerns that have plagued the juvenile court for 100 years; instead, the problem of youth criminality, deviance, and discipline for juveniles of color compounded with historical debates and discussions portray unique and foretelling discoveries around sentencing youth as adults when issues around ideology, hegemony, and race are exposed. …