change agents
January 2010

OMH's National Plan for Action is Open for Public Comments until Feb. 12
Community Science contributes to developing action plan

 

It's your turn to weigh in on the Office of Minority Health's (OMH) articleambitious plan to help eliminate health disparities in our country. Initiated by the OMH, the National Plan for Action (NPA) paves the way for implementing strategies intended to eliminate minority health disparities.  The NPA proposes 20 strategies for eliminating disparities through a large-scale, collective effort comprised of representatives from community, faith-based and non-profit groups, along with federal and local government agencies. Community Science was a key contributor in helping to refine the action plans.

 
How Community Science is contributing to the action plan
 

Community Science contributed to the action plan by writing the evaluation chapter, reviewing and refining strategies and actions, identifying data sources for measurement and developing benchmarks for selected strategies. Additionally, Community Science consulted a group of experts, assembled by the OMH, to get their ideas for the evaluation strategy.  The contributions will help the OMH determine levels of success as the plan moves ahead.  

 

 Your contribution (of ideas) counts now

 

You can now comment on individual chapters or the overall report.

Comments will be reviewed and used by the OMH in developing the final action plans. The plan will be available for comment until February 12, 2010. Click here to access the comments page.

How can evaluation improve community and other systems change initiatives? 
David Chavis's AEA presentation sheds light 
 

At the recent American Evaluation Association's (AEA) meeting, Community Science's David Chavis participated in an invited session on the evaluation of community change initiatives (CCIs) within their context. He reported on a Community Science study that reviewed 11 CCIs to identify factors related to scale, scope and sustainability. He also addressed the changing landscape of evaluation. The following post-session discussion sheds light on how the work of community change will evolve in 2010 and beyond. 

 
What do you see as one of the biggest barriers to making a large scale impact on complex social problems in communities?

Right now, it's the major readiness of foundations, evaluators, and technical assistance providers to undertake these types of initiatives; particularly funders, because the funding comes first. Funder readiness is one of the biggest challenges. Despite repeated attempts at taking on long scale change efforts, very little time is spent on sharing and applying lessons learned from other initiatives. Particularly, the information and capacities of all participants needed to achieve the scope and scale required to do this type of work, how to build that capacity, and how to generate reliable information that will be used. This is extremely complex work. Rocket science and brain surgery are easier. The laws of physics are constant. However, that's not true with communities, which are changing all the time.
 

How do science and research factor in?

When we {Community Science} get involved, we explore how to use knowledge, data and research to address changing systems. We help public and private funders strategically and operationally apply the knowledge and the science of how to improve communities on a larger scale. It's a matter of balancing the visionary notions of philanthropy with the science and knowledge that are necessary to be as successful as possible. Funders are rarely organized to use information for decision making and improvement and do not reward that behavior, even if they have evaluation staff. Community Science helps funders develop learning systems that can enhance the performance of their grant making and other activities.  
 
 
To access the full Q&A, click here. Find out what changes could make a difference and the most surprising question of session. 

Community Science is growing...

Welcome to Denise Baer, Pamela Robb and Zachary Miller

 

Denise L. Baer, PhD, is a new Senior Associate with our team. She comes with a wide spectrum of experience as a consultant, an educator, a leadership trainer, and a strategic planner. Her work blends the worlds of theory and scholarship with applied and practical accomplishments, with emphasis at the community level. Dr. Baer is an expert in performance measurement and management, including at the strategy, policy, and program levels. She was the Director of a Department of Justice project on developing performance measures on the integration of information systems. She is also the author of three books on political linkage and institutional and private sector reform issues. (Resume)

  

We also welcome Pamela T. Robb, a new member of the senior team, who will oversee the project management office. She will help to coordinate and streamline projects from inception to completion. She will also be adding her marketing expertise to the new ChangeThinkers.com web site.  Pam is an accomplished leader with more than 10 years experience managing programs and projects for a variety of nonprofit organizations. She is known for identifying, recommending, and implementing innovative solutions for complex business challenges; building and managing  cohesive work teams; leading project start-up and turn-around; streamlining business processes for optimum efficiency; and achieving operational goals. (Resume)

 
Another new team member, Zachary Miller, MPA, brings diverse experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He joins our group from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. His prior federal experience includes projects with the Office of Inspector General at Homeland Security and the Office of Minority Health at Health and Human Services. He is a graduate of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University, where he studied nonprofit management. Formerly, Zachary worked for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Alaska. He currently volunteers with Brain Food, a culinary arts program for DC youth. (Resume)
 
Quick links to publications at CommunityScience.com
 
At our newly revamped web site, CommunityScience.com, find links to manyCommunity Science Logo of our publications, including the following:
 
Building Bridges, Fueling Social Change This report captures the capacities required and lessons learned by the foundations, their grantees, and others in their efforts to promote intergroup relations. The Ford Foundation's Peace and Social Justice Program and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation's Race and Ethnic Relations Program collaborated to support the Community Foundations/Intergroup Relations (CF/IR) Program, which involved six community foundations. For more information on this project or for a copy of the video, click here.
 
Strategic Factors for Building Community: The Five C's Community, Connections, Control, Cash, & Collective Action
This brief report describes the strategic factors for stimulating community-wide health and well-being. It illustrates how each of the Five C's can be put together to develop an effective, broad-reaching, and sustainable community development strategy. To read more, click here
 
The NPA will promote strategic actions in five key areas:
  • Increase awareness of health disparities.
  • Strengthen
    leadership at all levels.
  • Improve health and healthcare outcomes.
  • Improve cultural and linguistic competency in delivering health services.
  • Coordinate and utilize research and outcome evaluations more effectively.

In this Issue...
OMH Welcomes Comments
Evaluation Changes in 2010 & Beyond
We Keep Growing
Large scale community change is complex, particularly in terms of the scope and scale needed to do this type of work.  It's extremely complex.  Rocket science and brain surgery are easier.

-David Chavis
Community Science

What's on your mind?
Share, Vote, Discuss + Influence
ChangeThinkers.com logo 
Right now at ChangeThinkers.com, people are talking about health equity, improving education and how an international beverage company is giving away grant money.

Discuss the issues you care about. Your collective insights can influence the way we practice, and give funders and foundations topics to consider when making their philanthropic decisions. At ChangeThinkers.com, we help funders and foundations understand the best possible ways to assist their grantees, to ensure the greatest possible impact. Click here to get started. 

 
Conferences of Note
Evaluating Professional Development Impact
Feb. 4-5, 2010
Tempe, AZ 
For information, click here.
 
Improving Impact: Using Innovative Methods and Partnerships to Enhance Evaluations
February 22-23, 2010
Tallahassee, FL
For information, click here.
 
About Us...

At Community Science, our mission is to develop and use the knowledge that can change communities and other systems. Our group practice of social change professionals is committed to building healthy, just, and equitable communities. 
  • Advisory Services
  • Capacity Building Products and Services
  • Initiative Management and Support
  • Research and Evaluation Services
To discuss how Community Science can collaborate with your team, contact us at 301-519-0722 or
 
 Connecting Knowledge with Social Change