Research practice
Research & evaluation
Community-engaged research built around relevance, reciprocity, and public value.
LCE is developing research and evaluation capacity that starts with community priorities, uses bilingual and culturally responsive engagement, and translates findings back into stronger programs, partnerships, and public learning.
Research practice
Evidence connected to implementation.
The model draws on principles used by community-engaged research centers: bidirectional relationships, plain-language communication, accessible participation, ethical dissemination, and community input throughout the life of a project.
01
Program evaluation
Connect delivery data to questions of effectiveness.
Attendance and service counts describe activity. LCE's evaluation model adds referral completion, follow-up, participant feedback, perceived access, and qualitative context.
METHODImplementation data → participant feedback → follow-up → interpretation
CHANGE MECHANISMReveal where a program is working, where access breaks down, and what should be redesigned.
WHAT CHANGESBetter program decisions, more credible reporting, and clearer priorities for improvement.
02
Community-engaged methods
Treat lived experience as expertise in the research process.
Listening sessions, bilingual engagement, stakeholder interviews, participant review, and community interpretation can shape questions, methods, and dissemination.
METHODCo-frame → listen → analyze with context → return findings
CHANGE MECHANISMIncrease relevance and reduce the distance between institutional research questions and community realities.
WHAT CHANGESMore culturally relevant findings, stronger trust, better implementation insight, and research that communities can actually use.
03
Responsible AI
Study not only what AI can do, but what it changes.
Emerging research can examine bilingual model behavior, user wellbeing, economic transition, navigation quality, governance, and the consequences of technology adoption.
METHODUse-case definition → human-centered evaluation → risk analysis → outcome measurement
CHANGE MECHANISMMove AI adoption from novelty toward evidence about usefulness, safety, access, and community impact.
WHAT CHANGESMore responsible implementation, better safeguards, clearer evidence, and stronger community participation in technology decisions.
04
Research partnerships
Translate between institutional rigor and field reality.
LCE can contribute bilingual recruitment, community interpretation, implementation knowledge, field coordination, and dissemination capacity to aligned research partnerships.
METHODPartnership design → field implementation → interpretation → dissemination
CHANGE MECHANISMBring community access and implementation knowledge into the research lifecycle rather than adding them at the end.
WHAT CHANGESMore feasible studies, stronger participation, better contextual interpretation, and more useful dissemination.
05
Research integrity
Make the status and limits of evidence visible.
Active, proposed, and completed work should be clearly distinguished, with claims connected to methods, populations, time periods, approvals, and limitations.
METHODStatus labeling → method transparency → limitation reporting → evidence-linked claims
CHANGE MECHANISMIncrease trust by making uncertainty and methodological boundaries part of the public record.
WHAT CHANGESClearer interpretation, stronger accountability, and a more credible institutional research practice.