Envisioning the Long-Term Impact of the Smithsonian’s Latino Museum Studies Program
Client: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino | Location: Washington, DC
We worked with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino to define the long-term impact of its Latino Museum Studies Program.
OVERVIEW
In 2023, we partnered with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino to explore its intended impact for the Latino Museum Studies Program, a longstanding program for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in museums and academia.
The goal of our work together was to define the program’s intended impact and discuss how program resources and activities could potentially be realigned to achieve this impact over the next three years of the program, resulting in a Long-Term Impact Evaluation plan for the museum.
APPROACH
The project had five distinct but related parts:
A Logic Model which describes the Latino Museum Studies Program’s purpose, resources, activities, audiences, intended outcomes, and long-term impact
Evaluation capacity building for staff and partners to help bolster understanding of how evaluation can be used to explore long-term impact
Discussion groups with program alumni to gather feedback about the ideas in the Logic Model as well as the program’s strengths and weaknesses
Process evaluation tools for staff to use to assess the effectiveness of program activities
A Long-term Impact Evaluation Plan that defines the scope and sequence of a three-year evaluation exploring the program’s impact
CLIENT TAKEAWAYS
By engaging in reflective practice, staff were able to clarify their intentions for a longstanding, successful professional development program. Staff clearly articulated the value of the program for addressing Latino representation in museums’ staff and collections, and in their documentation, research, and interpretation of the American experience. Program alumni and partners also weighed in on the program’s strengths and weaknesses to help direct museum staff in how to strengthen its impact. Looking forward, the museum intends to use the Logic Model, process evaluation tools, and Long-term Impact Evaluation Plan to continually assess the program’s impact and reflect on how to strengthen this impact over time.