research and publication services

UWW called on Collaborative’s knowledge and expertise to provide facilitation, research and writing, and strategic planning support for these efforts. We partnered with UWW staff to identify and analyze research on Financial Stability and Health. Based on the research, the Collaborative team developed draft strategies and approaches for UWW to utilize as starting point for strategy sessions. During these strategy sessions, facilitated by Collaborative, the UWW team examined and expanded on Collaborative’s findings. The work also included providing writing and design support for the creation of research reports on the five focus areas in Financial Stability and Health.

In close collaboration with the United Way of America, the Forum for Youth Investment and the two local sites in Richmond, VA and Kansas City, MO, Collaborative:

• Reviewed project materials about the grant, as well as materials from both local sites.
• Developed an interview guide to structure the conversation in a way that would help pilot grant leads be reflective and open about the grant and how it impacted their organization and the community.
• Identified fourteen individuals (seven in each community) to interview.
• Wrote a report that included how the local effort unfolded, successes and challenges experienced, results achieved due to the efforts in each community, and lessons learned for other collaborative efforts.

Collaborative worked with the Mobile Area Education Foundation (MAEF) to bring out the deep, meaningful and widespread engagement that took place in Mobile County in the past three years.  Furthermore, it wanted to highlight the various historic, civic and cultural conditions in the community that made this engagement possible.

In addition to MAEF, Collaborative met with other key participants including:

• Yes We Can campaign
• PASSport to Excellence strategic plan for Mobile County public schools

Collaborative designed interview protocols, focus group guides, and observation rubrics to help facilitate the effectiveness of site visits at the three schools from the National Forum's Schools to Watch program. 

Once on-site, Collaborative led teams:

• Making classroom observations
• Interviewing teachers and administrators
• Conducting student focus groups

Once the observations were complete, Collaborative assisted with:

• Aligning the findings to the Math Panel recommendations
• Drafting and editing the case studies
• Presenting highlights of promising practices from these schools in a special section of the Mathematics Improvement Toolkit Web site

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.

Collaborative looked at multiple indicators to identify potential expansion opportunities for NAF academies in California. We examined public education data, interviewed potential partners and identified existing support structures, to gain a clear picture of interest, need and support. We looked at how these indicators intersected and overlapped, to identify potential areas for academy expansion. We synthesized our findings in a written report that "maps" our recommendations.

In response to the need be able to update information and continue to explore new locations, Collaborative created the Community Readiness Assessment Tool, which helps to guide strategic thinking about a community's level of readiness to engage in the career academy approach. By capturing and documenting the process by which data can be used to inform decisions, Collaborative empowered NAF to continue its work in an effective and strategic way.

Collaborative Communications Group worked with NAF and its partners to create a standards document that would be useful to youth, schools and employers. NAF began the process by convening a Career Academy and Internship Task Force of national experts in work-based learning. Collaborative provided direction on the meeting agenda, materials and purpose; attended and documented the meeting in Oakland, CA; and identified the most relevant themes from the daylong discussion. We also attended a convening of employers in the Los Angeles area and gatherings of educators and intermediaries who deliver work-based learning activities to further test the identified themes.

Our process of creating the standards document included receiving continuous feedback from NAF staff, the Task Force and the field. When a change in scope resulted in the need for a slightly different product, we adeptly changed our approach to deliver a document that would be most useful to the organization in continuing to solicit feedback and funding to obtain support nationwide.

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.

The Collaborative team produced the Commission's final report and outreach materials, including research, writing, editing and design. We assisted the Commission in redesigning its Web site to align with the release and supported every aspect of communications around the release including media outreach, production of press materials and event logistics. Throughout the year, we also documented all of the Commission's hearings and roundtables and produced reports summarizing the proceedings.