Our Work
Research and policy comprise the work of the Council’s systems advocacy.
Our Research initiatives are designed to improve outcomes for children by working collaboratively with community partners to improve community infrastructure and increase the capacity and support of local child-serving agencies.
Improving Community Infrastructure:
Collect and analyze local data on children
Compile and synthesize relevant literature on what works
Encourage dialogue between providers and both public and private funding sources
Conduct content-specific community needs assessments
Mobilize community to:
Increase Capacity
Distill information on best practice and local data on children into manageable fact-sheets to assist in strategic planning, presentations, grant writing, and policy initiatives.
Support and convene sector specific learning collaboratives to foster increased transparency, information sharing, and program/service knowledge.
Provide program evaluation technical assistance
Research Philosophy/Approach
Our theory of change is based on the notion that we, as a community, must have good information in order to make good decisions. Equally central to this philosophy is that improved outcomes require a deliberate and sustained effort by providers, funders, policy-makers, and community leaders.
Policy
In support of the Council’s mission, we work to change systems through educating the public and advocating for policy change. Our current areas of policy focus are:
Juvenile Reform/Raise the Age (state-wide)
CMS School Assignment (local)
School Discipline (local) and
Mental Health
Read more about our policy areas of focus.
Internships
A limited number of internships are accepted each year for the research team. Information on opportunities and application process is available at the Internship page.
More on Our Work
To learn more, visit our research repository. There you will find peer-reviewed literature in areas related to Health, Safety, and Education, as well as matrices of evidence-based practices for targeted issue areas.