Network Development

United Way Innovation Network

The Challenge 

The Annie E. Casey Foundation and United Way have both pursued groundbreaking work to improve community conditions.  Recognizing the alignment between the AECF’s Making Connections initiative and United Way’s community impact agenda, United Way received a grant from AECF to explore the best practices for effective place-based, resident engagement work impacting education, income and health.

United Way Worldwide convened eight communities from across the country in an Innovation Network throughout 2009 to explore how this work can be effectively implemented to create sustainable community change. United Way Worldwide reached out to Collaborative Communications Group to assist in the learning and development of the Innovation Network.

Our Approach 

Collaborative supported this work through:

  • Facilitation of working group discussions to ensure successful consultation and decision-making
  • Shaping the content and agendas for three convenings of the Innovation Network
  • Building an online, interactive environment that will give participants in the Innovation Network an ongoing platform for continuing to connect, share and learn
Our Impact 

Collaborative was able to support the Innovation Network through its development and exploration of place-based, resident engagement work. Through the management of the three convenings, the Network was able to create tools and resources that have been combined into a toolkit for the entire United Way system.

The relationship with United Way Worldwide has grown and deepened, and Collaborative continues to support their work in a variety of ways.

Date Added: Mar 31, 2010
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Policy Review: Documenting Legislative Successes of Statewide Afterschool Networks

The Challenge 

Each year, teams from each of the National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks (SAN) are invited to join together to share ideas, resources and strategies for achieving the collective goals of the networks on governance, funding and quality of afterschool programs.  The national network meeting fosters cross-network learning with a range of opportunities for small group discussions on targeted topics.

The Mott Foundation-funded networks focus on collaborative learning and knowledge sharing. A need was recognized around helping state networks become leaders in impacting policy development, and becoming a go-to resource for policymakers. Learning to navigate the legislative landscape is challenging and often times, daunting. The meeting provides an opportune time for reflections on the legislative successes and challenges of the statewide afterschool networks.

Our Approach 

As part of Collaborative's longstanding role in supporting Mott's work with building SAN's knowledge base, in 2004 we began creating policy reviews that share knowledge and best practices. These reports debut each year at the national network meeting.

In 2008, Collaborative saw a need to go deeper into some of the success stories. With an advisory committee comprised of members of Afterschool Technical Assisstance Collaborative, we:

  • Managed the identification of the seven networks that we would interview and profile
  • Sought out the network leads to capture their stories and share lessons for other networks
  • Surveyed the remaining 31 networks on their legislative accomplishments from 2007-2008, and drafted statements for Developed and wrote a policy review that included the seven case studies and the other legislative successes
  • Engaged in feedback sessions with the Advisory Committee
  • Designed an accessible, easy-to-read policy review for widespread use and disseminated it at the January 2009 national network meeting in Tampa, FL.
Our Impact 

The National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks continue to grow and expand their technical expertise and ability to become advocates for afterschool in the policy arena. This resource supports the networks in becoming effective leaders who policymakers will look to when making education and out-of-school time policy. This policy review is one way for networks to continue to stay informed on best practices of fellow states.

Find more information on the National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks.

Date Added: Mar 13, 2010
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Dynamic, Online Professional Development Promoted throughout Arkansas

The Challenge 

The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) wanted to increase user registration and activity on Arkansas IDEAS, its premiere online professional development portal for educators.

Our Approach 

Our approach was to create a series of promotional materials, Web site content, and implementation strategies that the ADE could distribute to a variety of prospective users.

Our first step was to create materials that demonstrate the benefits of IDEAS to district and school administrators. Once they understood the value of the online portal, they could then promote it within their district or school. We created a promotion plan and an implementation strategy that ADE staff could use to talk about and promote IDEAS with administrators at the district and school level.

Next, we developed an implementation plan for administrators, to help them introduce and promote IDEAS in their school or district. The plan is accompanied by supporting resources including IDEAS talking points, sample email language, a PowerPoint presentation and a promotional poster. We recommended all of these resources be available to administrators in a centralized location on the IDEAS Web site.

Our Impact 

To measure the impact of these promotional activities, we recommended that ADE staff track their efforts and monitor Web site traffic and email click through rates to track ongoing promotional efforts against goals. The intent is to be strategic about outreach efforts and to consistently monitor, adjust and improve the process to achieve desired results.

Date Added: Mar 13, 2010
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Using Interactive Technology to Communicate Critical Information on Access and Equity in Public Education

The Challenge 

The Schott Foundation conducted a detailed study on the state of public education in the United States, resulting in the release of the report Lost Opportunity: A 50 State Report on the Opportunity to Learn in America. The report explores disparities in quality and proficiency, as well as access and equity in public education. The Foundation wanted to take the findings from their printed report and make them available on their Web site in a user-friendly format.

Our Approach 

Our approach was to present the information in an interactive, online map of the United States. Individual states are colored along a spectrum of performance, from red (poor performance) to blue (high performance). This color-coding approach enables visitors to view comparative snapshots of state performance in public education. Users click individual states to view specific data on access, or the chance that a disadvantaged student will have access to a high performing school compared to a white, non-Latino student; proficiency, or the percentage of eight graders who scored proficient or above on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reading exam; and cost, or the total economic burden carried by state taxpayers because of inequity.

Our Impact 

This work supports The Schott Foundation's national Opportunity to Learn initiative. As the initiative expands and gains traction, the information found in the map will be essential to communicate the current disparities found in public education and motivate key stakeholders to drive change.

Date Added: Mar 13, 2010
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Agenda Development for The Aspen Institute's National Education Summit

The Challenge 

The Aspen Institute’s Commission on No Child Left Behind sought to convene people across all sectors to discuss the urgency of education reform in America.

Our Approach 

Collaborative was a key partner in the agenda development, writing and design of the program book, and in the research and writing of key background pieces. The Issue Brief, written by Collaborative, paints a vivid picture of the state of education in our nation today—and as the preeminent statement in the program book, it served as the framework for discussions throughout the day of the Summit. Additionally, Collaborative is playing a role in documenting what was discussed in the sessions to push forward ideas into action.

Our Impact 

The firm supported the development of Aspen’s National Education Summit in September 2008. Attendees to the Summit included Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, Chairman and CEO of Accenture Bill Green, District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. Further, using its methods of synthesis and analysis, Collaborative will assist The Aspen Institute in ensuring that the momentum following the Summit turns into thoughtful and strategic action.

Date Added: Mar 13, 2010
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A New Day for Learning

The Challenge 

The C.S. Mott Foundation asked Collaborative to support the New Day for Learning communities. New Day for Learning is not a curriculum or one-size fits all program; it's a 21st century vision for learning that builds on a foundation of core academics by leveraging community resources to incorporate strategies such as hands-on learning, working in teams and problem solving. Many programs that take place before the school day, after school and during the summer are already using these innovative learning approaches to engage students and increase their chances for success.  Collaborative supports the nine communities committed to implementing this vision. 

Our Approach 

Collaborative supported the creation of the Time, Learning and Afterschool Task Force which developed the New Day for Learning recommendations. These recommendations are aimed at accelerating the opportunity to utilize afterschool as a resource for rethinking time and learning, and restructuring the school day and year.

Collaborative produced the Task Force’s 2007 report, A New Day for Learning, including research, writing and design. Collaborative also produced an executive summary of the full report.

Our Impact 

The Time, Learning, and Afterschool Task Force made headlines in the May 2, 2007 edition of Education Week. In a Commentary piece, Task Force members Milton Chen, Executive Director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, and Judith Johnson, Superintendent of Peekskill, New York public schools joined An-Me Chung, program officer at the C.S. Mott Foundation in an article discussing why an expanded view of the learning day is more urgent than ever. Read the Education Week Commentary piece, “A New Day for Learning: Expanding Our Notions of Time, Textbook, and Classroom.” Reprinted with permission.

Date Added: Mar 12, 2010
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Exploring What Education Can Learn from the Visual Arts

The Challenge 

The National Art Education Association teamed with Collaborative to coordinate and facilitate a summit of experts, practitioners, and decision makers in the art education field.

Our Approach 

Collaborative facilitated a three-day summit of art educators and advocates at the Aspen Institute in Colorado in August 2008 convened by the National Art Education Association (NAEA). Collaborative partnered with NAEA on the agenda development, selected readings for the summit's resource book and facilitated all the sessions.

Our Impact 

The summit was attended by leading visual artists, music advocates, policy-makers and experts in a range of academic subjects. They examined the importance of the visual arts to America. The group discussed visions for the future, values that guide the profession and strategies for making the general public appreciate all that the arts have to offer young people.

Date Added: Mar 12, 2010
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A New Day for Schools: The Expanded Learning Time Summit

The Challenge 

Collaborative teamed up with Massachusetts 2020 and the Massachusetts Department of Education to manage A New Day for Schools: The Expanded Learning Time Summit.

Our Approach 

Collaborative oversaw the Expanded Learning Time Summit’s logistical needs and catering, disseminated invitations and a post-summit evaluation, coordinated the online and on-site registration processes, and managed the design process and agenda and materials development.

Our Impact 

The one-day summit brought together principals, teachers and educators to join in conversations on the Expanded Learning Time (ELT) initiative. This meeting demonstrates Collaborative’s continued experience with developing and hosting meetings for educational endeavors across the country.

Date Added: Mar 12, 2010
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