En Común Research & Training (ECRT), Founder and President, James C. Rodriguez, M.S.W., C.I.S.W, is a member of the American Evaluation Association and has adopted the following principles for ECRT, staff and consultants.
The Principles of Evaluation Adopted by ECRT Include:
A. Systematic Inquiry: Evaluators conduct systematic, data-based inquiries.
B. Competence: Evaluators provide competent performance to stakeholders.
C. Integrity/Honesty: Evaluators display honesty and integrity in their own behavior, and attempt to ensure the honesty and integrity of the entire evaluation process.
D. Respect for People: Evaluators respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants, clients, and other evaluation stakeholders.
E. Responsibilities for General and Public Welfare: Evaluators articulate and take into account the diversity of general and public interests and values that may be related to the evaluation.
What We Can Do For You
The ECRT/Evaluation Team optimizes your program’s effectiveness.
ECRT works collaboratively to make evaluation results meaningful.
The ECRT/Evaluation Team is a multidimensional, multicultural, collaborative experience in which we collect & analyze data, and translate evaluation findings into program optimization.
The ECRT/Evaluation Team provides your program with:
o Clear understanding of your data
o Thorough evaluation process
o Practical application of results
Each member of the ECRT Team specializes in a particular aspect of the evaluation process to ensure that your product is thorough and comprehensive.
Identify Areas for Improvement
Demonstrate Program Impact
Improve Program Design & Implementation
Document Program Effectiveness & Outputs
Who We Are
The ECRT/Evaluation Team are experts in program evaluation, monitoring, and assessment. We use a range of methodologies, predominantly qualitative and quantitative, in order to demonstrate program effectiveness.
Our team is diverse in culture, race and ethnicity and has over fifty years of combined expertise in program and project evaluation and research. The Evaluation Team is comprised of CEO & President James Rodriguez, M.S.W., of Phoenix, Arizona; Narviar C. Barker, Ph.D. of Atlanta, GA.; Edwin Gonzalez-Santin, M.S.W., of Tempe, AZ; Omar Lopez, Ph.D. of Austin, Texas; and Juan Paz, Ph.D. of Tucson, AZ, Joline Cruz, M.S.W., of Phoenix, AZ; Rosalee Gonzalez, M Sc., of Los Angeles, CA; and Jay Hedgpeth, MSW.
James Rodriguez, M.S.W., C.I.S.W., Founder and President of FFCA has over 19 years of research; program evaluation and program development experience. His leadership of ECRT is enhanced from a breadth of experiences from the armed forces; government; faculty; and non-profit leadership positions. He serves as the CEO/President for Fathers & Families Coalition of America, Inc as well on a part-time basis with a purpose to provide professional development to date to over 9,000 practitioners. He is a Board Member of 100 Black Men of Phoenix (part of 100 Black Men of America) and is engaged in community faith based initiatives nationally serving on several advisory boards to include Boys & Girls Club of America (Atlanta, GA); The Search Institute (Minneapolis, MN); National Advancement of Hispanic Families & Children (Washington, DC); and several local serving organizations.
Mr. Rodriguez has successfully developed and/or assisted in securing over $23 million in grants funds in the past ten years. Funding entities included: DHHS-ACF-Head Start Bureau; DHHS-ACF-Office of Refugee & Resettlement; USDOL-ETA-Job Access; DHHS-OCS; DHHS –WIA; Arizona Department of Health and Economic Security; and the Flinn Foundation. He has served as the Principal Investigator/Director on nine of the funded grants in these past ten years.
Mr. Rodriguez has conducted an array of program evaluation and research to include Arizona State University Hispanic Family Project (Senior Researcher); Somalia Empowerment Grant (Principal Investigator); New Turf –Anti Gang Project (Principal Investigator); and as a lead evaluator for fifteen national programs to include Arizona Mexico Border Health Foundation
Narviar C. Barker, M.S.W., Ph.D., is former Assistant Dean and Professor of the Whitney M. Young, Jr., School of Social Work; Director of the Doctoral Program at this institution; Director of the School of Social Work, Georgia State University; Program Director for the Research Center on Health Disparities at Morehouse College, and currently President/CEO of Narolds, LLC, an Atlanta-based consulting firm.
Dr. Barker has designed and directed feasibility studies, marketing surveys, focus group projects, needs assessments, studies on outcomes of community intervention and capacity building, and produced customized materials specific to diverse populations. She has assisted in securing over $5 million in grant funds over the past 3 years and has served as Principal Investigator and Project Director on numerous state and federally-funded grants. Dr. Barker is best known as a focus group leader and creative analyst, with a special interest in multi-level communication in capacity building.
Edwin Gonzalez-Santin, M.S.W., Academic Professional, Senior Research Specialist, Arizona State University, School of Social Work is the Director of the Office of American Indian Projects. Ed has developed and coordinated network of support for Native American parents in the form of advisement and counseling, development of a Native American Participant Support group, development of a mentoring program, and the establishment of a revolving emergency fund for parents from private donations for almost thirty-years. As a Principal Investigator for a curriculum development grant funded by U. S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau, “Understanding the Cultural Context”. A curriculum for the training of state and tribal workers who work with American Indian children and families completed curriculum and final process evaluation. Principal Investigator for a three year contract for the evaluation of Native American Community Health Center’s, (N.A.C.H.C.) U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, science based initiative, “Native Pathways Project”. Ed has developed many programs that have made a difference within Native American Communities across the nation and will work with colleagues to ensure culturally appropriate indigenous services.
Juan Paz, M.S.W., Ph.D., is an associate professor and coordinator of the Masters in Social Work program at Arizona State University and brings an extensive practicum and research foundation on culturally competent. Dr. Paz had oversight of several programs within the, The Refugee Unaccompanied Minor Program, Department of Human Services, Washington, DC. He was responsible for monitoring contracts providing comprehensive case management services to refugee adolescents from Southeast Asia and Central America. Dr. Paz had oversight of contract management, as well as reviewed and monitored the quality of services provided. He developed policies for the organization of a foster care staff training plan dealing with AIDS and other health-related issues. Founding member of the Expert Panel of the National Center For the Advancement of Prevention under the auspicious of Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation funded by SAMHSA.
As the Director of Research, National Hispanic Council on Aging, Washington, DC, Dr. Paz administered two national research projects, one on long term care and the other on mental health. He has been the Principal Investigator on three Center of Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAP) projects; lead evaluator on the Multi-Ethnic Adolescent Treatment Improvement Project (CSAP) and four research projects as well as published on studies that include: Quality health Service for Hispanics: The Cultural Competency Component; “Latinos and HIV”;"Empowerment: Strengthening the Natural Support Network of the Hispanic Rural Elderly" “Puerto Ricans in an Aging Society: Critical Issues for US Social Policy”; and published on the needs of the Black Family: “Family Ethnicity: Strength in Diversity” edited by Harriet McAdoo, and several other studies on minority health related disparities.
