Call to Community:Building Connections
that Make a Difference for Students with Disabilities
CA Community Meeting
April 28, 2008
“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice; in practice, there is.”
Yogi Berra”
The New Focus on Information and Experience
“Knowledge is an asset to be managed like other assets”
Etienne Wenger
We Need A New Way of Working
We have a ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’ gap.We need to move promising strategies ‘to
scale’. We have a need for security when undertaking
change.Problems are complex and interrelated. We
need to find a course of action through the complexity
The ‘Knowing’ and ‘Doing’ Gap
‘Knowing’ isn’t ‘doing’!
Practices often do not transfer across organizations.
Practices often do not transfer across sites within the same organization.
Moving Promising Strategies ‘To Scale’
Pockets of excellence persist!
Many sites need direct and ongoing support to adopt practices.
It is unlikely that we will have sufficient TA resources to provide direct assistance to all that will need it.
The Need for Security In Making Change
Implementers are people first!Fear limits the ability of people to turn knowledge
into action.People need support to make changes. In the absence of support, change does not go
deep. In the absence of support, backsliding is common.
Finding a Course of Action
through Complex Issues
We need to be able to operate at the intersection of research, policy and practice.
States as leverage pointsStakeholders as partnersState agencies as collaborators State investments as resources
What If.....
• The state agencies routinely connected to teachers, VR counselors, families, etc for their views
• The State agencies provided a way for you to connect with others that care about an issue
• The State agencies made you a real partner in creating new solutions to persistent problems
What If...
• The state agencies created a way to share best practice within the state and coach each other
• The state affiliates of your national organizations consistently offered opportunities for you to be involved in the real work of changing outcomes in CA
• You could learn and share with individuals in other states and they could learn and share with you
Communities of Practice for Strategic Advantage
• There is untapped knowledge that resides with those that do the work
• To achieve results, leaders need to partner with and support those that are closest to the work.
• Real change requires that leaders, practitioners and consumers build a shared sense of purpose around the change
What are Communities of Practice?
A way of working
• Involving those who do shared work
• Involving those that share issues
• Always asking “who isn’t here?”
A way of learning• To create new knowledge
grounded in ‘doing the work’
• With those who can advocate for and make change
Can a ‘Community’ Strategy Address Unmet Needs?
CommunitiesAre a ‘way of working’ Are the natural bonds between people that share
common workAre organized around common goals Are committed to using what we knowMove from ‘knowing’ to ‘doing’Open, inviting and supportive others ‘doing’ the
work
What Do Communities Do?
• Seek and invite others doing shared work
• Share learnings within organizations, agencies and roles
• Share learnings across organizations, agencies and roles
• Decide to do things together that will address a shared concern
• Create new knowledge grounded
Why Are Communities of Value?
Provide the support that implementers needRespect the ‘expertise’ that implementers bringRecognize the differences in the settings where
implementer do their workInviting differing viewpointsSeek commonality within differing viewpointsUnite individuals in in actionFocus on ‘lesson drawing’ and ‘learning’Turn existing ‘networks‘ into ‘communities’Use the ‘community’ to transform practiceBuilding bridges between research, policy and
practice
How Do Communities Make a Difference? Build on a voluntary affiliation Use the natural bonds between people that do common
work Create communication mechanisms Maintain communication that strengthen natural bonds Use the ‘community status’ to bring attention to issues Use the ‘community status’ to engage the people that can
help move the issues Keep the community members focused on ‘learning by
doing’ Keep community members focused on outcomes
How Do Organizations and Individuals Get Their Needs Met Within a Community?
Communities focus on ‘big picture’ goals ‘Practice Groups’ unite individuals with special interests or
specific issues Practice groups help the community understand specific interests
and issues in more depth The community keeps the practice group focused on the ‘bigger
picture’ Both the ‘community’ and the ‘practice group’ are necessary to
get needs met Both the ‘community’ and the ‘practice group’ are necessary to
respond to issues in context
How Do Organizational and Stakeholder Groups Enlarge and Enrich the Community?
• Individuals ‘hear’ messages differently from groups with which they voluntarily affiliate
• Individuals are more open to influence from their organizational/stakeholder networks
• Organizational/stakeholder network support moves ideas more quickly
• Organizational/stakeholder networks translate ideas and make concrete connections for their constituents
• When organizational/stakeholder networks are engaged, they create leadership opportunities for their members
• When organizational/stakeholder networks are engaged they can bring the learning the realities of implementation into the work
• When organizational/stakeholder networks are engaged they can disseminate new learning that is grounded in the realities of implementation
• The community provides organizations and stakeholders with a stronger voice in bringing policy and practice together!
An Example of A Community andIt’s Practice Groups
Community Focus: Interagency Transition
Potential Practice Groups:
Employment
Health
Post –secondary issues
Transition and high school redesign
Transition for youth with unique needs: youth with autism,
youth returning from the juvenile justice system, youth in foster
care, etc.
Youth empowerment and leadership
Data Sharing and data-based decisionmaking
Learning as a Community Focus
• Local-to-Local
• State-to-Local
• Local-to-State
• State-to-State
National Community on Transition: We Are Trying to Model a New Way
• 10 states, 12 national organizations… connected with federal investments in ED and VR
• Focus on learning across states and modeling community within states
• Key Issues: o Interagency (engagement, roles, relationships, common goals,
unique indicators and data systems)
o Youth role
o Impact of HS redesign on transition
o Year-round program
o Local engagement and local-to-state learning
o State meetings as catalysts for community building and allied action
First Steps to Community Building among Stakeholders
Ask:• Who is interested in this issue and why?
• What efforts are underway separately to address the work?
• How can we build new connections?
• What ‘real work’ goal could unite us?
Helping State Agencies Learn the Value of Community
Ask:
• What does the data tell you?
• If you are to improve the data, who needs to be involved?
• What will make the work need fulfilling for others?
• Reach out and invite through the community!
How Can Separate Work Become Shared Work?
• Be intentional about collaboration
• Invite others into core work
• Invest in collaborative strategies
• Plan together
• Share training
• Make shared work your ‘work style’…not an ‘add on’
• Invent new ways to connect• Issue Forums
• Routine Learning Calls
• Create Issue Focused Practice Groups
• Involve Practice Groups in advising and decision making
• Create online workspace for connecting
• Focus on the task, the relationship and the learning!
New Eyes on Challenges through Communities of Practice
For you, is there value in building a community that aligns separate initiatives in support of transition?
For you, is there value in building a community that supports relationships and learning within states?
For you, is there value in building a community that supports relationships and learning across states?
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