Programs That Work
From 1998 to 2014, the Promising Practices Network (PPN) on Children, Families and Communities (www.promisingpractices.net) provided information on programs and practices that credible research indicated are effective in improving outcomes for children, youth, and families. This document contains the summaries of the Programs That Work section of the PPN website, as of June 2014, when the project concluded.
Ten Reasons Not to Measure Impact—and What to Do Instead
Ten Reasons Not to Measure Impact—and What to Do Instead, a Stanford Social Innovation Review article, simplified the task of improving data collection and analysis with a three-question test. The author emphasized that if your organization cannot answer yes to at least one of the following questions, then your organization probably should not be collecting data. 1) Can and will the (cost-effectively collected) data help manage the day-to-day operations or design decisions for your program? 2) Are the data useful for accountability, to verify that the organization is doing what it said it would do? 3) Will your organization commit to using the data and make investments in organizational structures necessary to do so?
The Business Case for Home Visiting
This PEW Research Center document on The Business Case for Home Visiting emphasizes the compelling evidence that home visitation promotes learning and success, and ultimately why it matters to business leaders.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Research and Reports
The National Low Income Housing Coalition research and reports produce specialized analyses of current issues, like foreclosure, disaster housing, and the affordability gap.
Public Benefit from Publicly Owned Parcels: Effective Practices in Affordable Housing Development
A report by Enterprise Community Partners, Public Benefit from Publicly Owned Parcels: Effective Practices in Affordable Housing Development describes the best practices for public entities seeking to use publicly owned land for affordable housing development. The authors focus on ways to improve the efficiency of the solicitation process—the process in which public entities seek proposals from the private sector to develop publicly-owned land. According to the report, efficiency is the key to achieving the goals of both the public agency and developer. The report provides best practices for public agencies, taking into consideration a variety of agency goals, agency capacities, and property types.