A Summary of the Meeting of May 30-June 1, 2001

This technical assistance workshop was the fourth in a series of technical assistance workshops hosted by the Chapin Hall Center for Children for participating states in the Child Indicators Initiative. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, sponsors the Advancing States Child Indicator Initiatives Project. Martha Moorehouse is the Project Officer. The Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago provides technical assistance to the Indicator Project states and prepared this summary. Harold Richman of Chapin Hall is the Principal Investigator and MairГ©ad Reidy is the Project Director.

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A Chapin Hall Working Paper, CS-76

Overview: The technical assistance workshop, held at Chapin Hall from May 30-June 1, 2001, was the fourth in a series of technical assistance workshops hosted by the Chapin Hall Center for Children for participating states in the Child Indicators Initiative. The workshops encouraged peer leadership and collaboration among states, and provided states with an opportunity to work with and learn from one another on areas of common interest. While the grant period had ended, the aim of the meeting was to help sustain the work of states by providing an opportunity to discuss successes and new challenges and also to have a chance to reflect on the future use of indicators. As in previous meetings, Chapin Hall discussed technical assistance needs extensively with participating states and worked collaboratively with them to develop the agenda for this meeting. State participants reported on progress, shared information on successes and brainstormed around emerging and ongoing challenges. Key experts in the field of child indicators were invited to share their expertise and brainstorm with participants as they discussed challenges and successes. The May 2001 workshops provided participants with practical guidance in areas including: (1) The factors and contexts that influence how indicators get used in states; and (2) The role of indicators as a reference tool in policy planning, development and evaluation. The meeting included the following sessions and the minutes of these sessions follow:

The factors and contexts that influence how indicators get used in states - with a reflection on how to survive changes in leadership.

The session coordinator was Harold Richman, Chapin Hall, and the guest speaker was Cornelius D. Hogan, Senior Consultant, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore.

Growing an outcomes based culture within communities.

The session coordinator was Ada Skyles, Chapin Hall, and the presenter was David Murphey, Senior Policy Analyst, Vermont Agency of Human Services.

The role of indicators as a reference tool

This session looks at indicators' utility in policy planning, development and evaluation and emphasizes how indicators have played into past legislation or executive change and the role they might play in future change. The session coordinator was Fred Wulczyn of Chapin Hall and the guest speakers were Christine Ferguson, Director of Rhode Island Department of Human Services, and James Dimas, Senior Associate, Casey Strategic Consulting Group, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore. Elizabeth Burke Bryant of Rhode Island KidsCount also made a formal presentation.

Use of the Census 2000 for indicators at the state and local level.

The session coordinator was Allen Harden, Chapin Hall, and the guest speaker was Cynthia Taeuber, Program Policy Advisor, University of Baltimore and the Census Bureau.

Legal and ethical issues in data linking.

The session coordinator and presenter was Robert Goerge, Chapin Hall.

Generating new knowledge from linked administrative data. The session coordinator and presenter was Bong Joo Lee, Chapin Hall.

How to use the Web to collect and distribute indicators.

The session coordinator was Fred Wulczyn, Chapin Hall, and the guest speaker was Dean Duncan, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Update on school readiness indicators and the use of indicators in early childhood initiatives.

The session coordinator was Mairead Reidy, Chapin Hall. The guest speaker was John Love, Senior Fellow, Mathematica Policy Research. Cathie Walsh and Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Rhode Island Kidscount, made formal presentations.

Use of indicators to track welfare reform.

The session coordinator was Mairead Reidy, Chapin Hall. The guest speaker was Larry Aber, Director, School of Public Health National Center for Children in Poverty. A formal presentation was made by Martha Moorehouse, Director, Division of Children and Youth Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

How to train community partners on how to use data, and how to identify and deal with pitfalls.

The session coordinator was Bong Joo Lee, Chapin Hall. David Murphey, Senior Policy Analyst, Vermont Agency of Human Services, made a formal presentation.

International indicators update.

Session coordinators and presenters were Robert Goerge and Mairead Reidy, Chapin Hall, and Larry Aber, School of Public Health, National Center for Children in Poverty.