Resources for Housing and Education Partnerships

In addition to the resources and tools listed within the text, the following pages list additional sources of guidance relevant to each of the partnership stages.

Comprehensive
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Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
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Comprehensive Resources for Cross-Sector Partnerships

A number of existing resources and toolkits offer valuable guidance on cross-sector partnerships with relevance to all five of the partnership stages.

The Intersector Toolkit | The Intersector Project: The Intersector Toolkit is a comprehensive and engaging resource that can help to “diagnose, design, implement, and assess successful cross-sector collaborations,” with content ranging from guiding questions and resources on engaging partners to telling the story of the shared work.
The Value of Backbone Organizations in Collective Impact | The Greater Cincinnati Foundation and FSG, Collective Impact Forum: In a series of articles on the Stanford Social Impact Review website, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and the nonprofit consulting firm FSG highlight key practices of an effective backbone organization and links to other resources on getting started in collective impact work.
Building Impact: A Closer Look at Local Cross-Sector Collaborations for Education | Teachers College, Columbia University: In “Building Impact,” a research team from the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis at Teachers College, Columbia University, compiles examples, guidance and findings from cross-sector education collaborations in eight cities across the country.
Cross-Sector Partnership Guideline | Danish Red Cross and Deloitte: The Cross-Sector Partnership Guideline, authored by Deloitte on behalf of the Danish Red Cross, offers a succinct set of summaries about a range of partnership elements, from scoping a project to evaluating the partnership.

STAGE 1: ASSESS EXISTING CONDITIONS

Resources for Assessing Existing Conditions

The following resources offer guidance on conducting an assessment of existing conditions.

Conducting a Community Needs Assessment | The Children’s Trust, National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP)
Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment Toolkit | Maryland Community Action Partnership

National datasets on housing and education are widely available and often contain local or regional data in the form of online databases or downloadable reports. The following resources are national data sources that can be used to access local or regional data.

American Community Survey (ACS) | United States Census Bureau: Administered through the åUnited States Census Bureau, ACS data come from an annually administered survey. Users can search easily based on geography and download relevant information tables.
Child Opportunity Index | diversitydatakids.org: The Child Opportunity Index displays information about opportunities and inequities for children in different metropolitan areas, allowing users to explore national datasets that are specific to youth in their area of focus.
Child Trends DataBank | Child Trends: The Child Trends DataBank is an online resource with a range of indicators and data summaries regarding the well-being of families and children in the United States. It includes a focus on educational attainment and disaggregation by race.
County Health Rankings | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The County Health Rankings offer a wealth of data, organized by state, county or ZIP code, regarding public health factors and outcomes in the United States.
Digest of Education Statistics | National Center for Education Statistics: The Digest of Education Statistics is a comprehensive report on education in the United States that is released annually by the National Center on Education Statistics. The data can be examined longitudinally, and many tables are organized by race and ethnicity.
Education Data Explorer | Urban Institute: The Urban Institute’s Education Data Explorer compiles school and school district data from publicly available sources and makes it available for users to access. Data include location and grade offerings, along with information about enrollment demographics, staffing levels, student discipline and more.
Equity Profiles and Data Summaries | National Equity Atlas: The National Equity Atlas features a range of data profiles and summaries on the nation’s 100 largest cities, 150 largest regions and all 50 states.
Federal Data Summary School Years 2015–16 through 2017–18: Education for Homeless Children and Youth | National Center for Homeless Education, UNC Greensboro: The National Center for Homeless Education provides an annual report based on data submitted by states regarding the demographics and academic performance of students experiencing homelessness.
Kids Count | The Annie E. Casey Foundation: Operated by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count is an online resource that provides data sources on child well-being, including an index that compares performance on a set of 16 indicators (one of which is education) for states across time.
Opportunity Atlas: Mapping the Childhood Roots of Social Mobility | Opportunity Insights: Coordinated by a multidisciplinary team at Harvard University and led by Economics Professor Raj Chetty, The Opportunity Atlas includes publicly available data regarding the impact of neighborhood conditions on children’s outcomes in adulthood, organized by census tract.
Opportunity 360 Community Dashboard | Enterprise Community Partners: Enterprise’s Opportunity360 Community Dashboard offers a wide range of data about the opportunity pathways and outcomes of a neighborhood, enabling users to quickly identify the neighborhood’s assets and challenges. Through an interactive online platform, users can explore neighborhood data for any census tract and compare it with other census tracts.
Out of Reach | National Low Income Housing Coalition: The National Low Income Housing Coalition produces an annual report called “Out of Reach” to document the gap between renters’ wages and the cost of rental housing in states across the United States. The data can be viewed by ZIP code or state, allowing comparison of such key factors as minimum wage and fair market rents.
Public Housing Authority Picture of Subsidized Households | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: HUD provides an online database of information regarding households living in public housing. Users can search the database for specific developments to learn more about the number of people served, units available, occupancy rates and resident income, along with other data points.

Example Assessments

The following reports are based on community assessments of existing conditions. Some assessments focus on a variety of topics and issues within a community, while others are focused on a particular topic.

City of Tacoma: Community Needs Assessment | City of Tacoma, Washington
College and University Basic Needs Insecurity: A National #RealCollege Survey Report | The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice
High School Persistence and Completion of Houston-Area Youth | Texas Education Research Center (TERC), The University of Texas at Austin
A Study of Financial Hardship | United Way Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Project
To Live in the Community You Serve: School District Employee Housing in California | Center for Cities + Schools, University of California, Berkeley
Creating Pathways for Educational and Neighborhood Success: Hunters View HOPE SF Educational Strategy Plan |Center for Cities + Schools, University of California, Berkeley
Portraits of Change: Aligning School and Community Resources to Reduce Chronic Absence | Communities In Schools

STAGE 2: IDENTIFY AND ENGAGE PARTNERS

Housing Partners

The following table offers an overview of the housing organizations that typically are active at the local level and that may be well positioned to serve as partners on cross-sector initiatives.

HOUSING ORGANIZATIONS	POTENTIAL PARTNERS	PARTNERSHIP CONSIDERATIONS
Housing Agencies	Public housing authorities (PHAs)	PHAs typically are the largest “landlord” in a given city or municipality, making them a fitting partner or stakeholder in efforts to better support low-income families. Governance structures of PHAs vary widely by state, with most PHAs led by an executive director and governing board, which typically includes a resident representative. For examples involving a housing authority, see the case studies in Stage 1 and Stage 2 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.
City Departments and Offices	Offices of housing, planning, community development, etc. Finance agency or redevelopment authority Mayor’s office	Many cities and towns have offices dedicated specifically to housing or related municipal issues, such as housing finance and redevelopment, planning, and community or economic development. These offices are valuable sources of knowledge about ongoing housing efforts and programs, relevant neighborhood data, and municipal policies. City offices or agencies may be willing partners, because they often have dedicated resources and staff assigned to specific neighborhoods or geographic areas. Mayor’s offices also may have a particular focus on housing and interest in supporting the work of a partnership. For an example involving alignment with a Mayor’s office, see the case study in Stage 3 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.
State Departments and Offices	Housing, planning or community development departments Housing finance agencies	Many states have departments dedicated to housing and housing finance and may be active locally in financing housing projects or in helping cities plan for additional housing. States also may have staff or resources that can support local efforts. Given their access to funding and regulatory powers, state-level departments also are well- equipped to incentivize cross-sector partnerships. For an example of state involvement in local partnerships, see the case study on the Homework Starts with Home initiative in Stage 5 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.
Housing Developers, Owners and Operators	Community development corporations (CDCs), community housing development organizations (CHDOs) For-profit and nonprofit affordable housing developers and lenders Property managers Private landlords	Numerous organizations of varying sizes are involved locally in developing, managing and advocating for affordable housing. Landlords, CDCs and CHDOs may focus their housing development and services in certain neighborhoods, making them excellent prospects for partnership within a target geography. Other affordable housing developers, property managers, private landlords or lenders may work nationally or across a city or region, offering an ability to scale programs across multiple properties or policy areas. For an example of a partnership involving private landlords, see the case study regarding the Star-C program in the Exploring Housing and Education Outcomes section in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.
Service providers (focused on resident services or case management) and advocacy organizations	Continuum of Care (CoC) participating organizations Community action programs (CAPs) Homeless shelters Housing counseling organizations Housing advocacy organizations, including tenant rights and legal services United Way	A wide range of service providers work with households experiencing homelessness or housing instability, either directly through providing temporary housing for individuals experiencing homelessness, or indirectly through case management, rent subsidies, cash assistance, housing or legal counseling, and much more. These organizations offer a wealth of knowledge on vulnerable communities and often are willing partners to help extend the reach of their services. For an example involving service providers, see the case study on Project Hope in Stage 5 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.

Education Partners

The following table offers an overview of the education organizations that typically are active at the local level and that may be well positioned to serve as partners on cross-sector initiatives.

EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS	POTENTIAL PARTNERS	PARTNERSHIP CONSIDERATIONS
Schools and School Districts	Public, charter or magnet schools Colleges and universities Local education agencies Rural school districts Public school districts School boards	School or school district leaders — such as principals, deans, presidents or superintendents — often are key stakeholders when working in partnership, because their leadership or support can help guide collective efforts or designate staff time or resources. Schools and school districts also may have staff known as “community liaisons” or other community-facing staff or offices that are well prepared to work collaboratively across sectors to coordinate efforts and services. For an example involving a college or university, see the case study in Stage 2 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text. For an example involving a school district, see the case study on Project Hope in Stage 5 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.
Backbone Organizations and Collective Impact Coalitions	StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network member organizations Promise Neighborhoods	Organizations working within the StriveTogether network, and others focused on collective impact, focus on key education outcomes, with strong experience in sharing data and pursuing systems change. Already serving as a backbone organization within the educational sector in a particular city or region, these organizations have a wealth of experience and practice to offer cross-sector collaborations between housing and education. For an example involving a StriveTogether network member organization, see the case study on the Early Childhood Initiative in Stage 1 or the case study on the College Housing Assistance Program in Stage 2 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.
State Departments and Agencies	State department of education State education agency	State agencies may be led by a superintendent, commissioner or secretary of education. Working with state departments and agencies offers the opportunity to affect change across a broader set of policies and geographies. For an example of state involvement in local partnerships, see the case study on the Homework Starts with Home initiative in Stage 5 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.
Service Providers (focused on programming and family supports)	Boys and Girls Clubs YMCAs and YWCAs	Many service providers operate within schools, while others offer out-of-school educational support. As a result, these service providers typically have a deep understanding of family needs, neighborhood and school context, as well as the impact of certain programming on family outcomes. As a result, these partners are important stakeholders to include in the design and implementation of cross-sector solutions. For an example involving service providers, see the case study on Project Hope in Stage 5 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.
After-School, School Enrichment and Youth Programming Organizations	Mentoring and tutoring organizations Arts, sports and environmental organizations Recreation centers and libraries	Similar to other service providers, these organizations, focused on educational enrichment and youth programming, offer an understanding of community needs and may offer a different perspective than school-based stakeholders. These service providers are important partners to provide input into the design and implementation of cross-sector solutions. For an example involving a mentoring and tutoring organization, see the case study in Stage 4 in the Housing and Education Partnerships text.

Resources for Partnership Development

The following resources offer background and guidance on key elements of partnership development, including strategies for community and stakeholder engagement.

GENERAL RESOURCES

Partnerships: Frameworks for Working Together | Strengthening Nonprofits: A Capacity Builder’s Resource Library
The Partnership Toolbox | World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Making Meetings Work | Collective Impact Forum
12 Steps Towards Successful Cross-Sector Partnership | The Partnering Initiative
The Partnering Toolbox | The Partnering Initiative

FOCUS GROUPS

Conducting Focus Groups | Community Tool Box, Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas
Public Participation Guide: Focus Groups | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

SURVEYS

Conducting Needs Assessment Surveys | Community Tool Box, Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas
Methods for Conducting an Educational Needs Assessment | University of Idaho Extension | pages 8–12
Measurement Tools | Success Measures at NeighborWorks America

PARTICIPATORY ASSET MAPPING

Participatory Asset Mapping: A Community Research Lab Toolkit | The Advancement Project and Healthy City
Unlocking Your Community’s Hidden Strengths: A Guidebook to Community Asset-Mapping | Southern Poverty Law Center
Activating Asset Mapping | AmeriCorps, VISTACampus

STAKEHOLDER, NETWORK AND SYSTEMS MAPPING

Identifying and Analyzing Stakeholders and Their Interests | Community Tool Box, Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas
Using a Stakeholder Analysis to Identify Key Local Actors | Grassroots Collective
Stakeholder Engagement: Tools for Action | Home and Community-Based Services Clearinghouse
Guide to Actor Mapping | FSG
Network Mapping Tool | Advocacy & Communication Solutions
Worksheet: Network Mapping for Crowdfunding Success | GlobalGiving
Systems Practice | The Omidyar Group

HOSTING COMMUNITY EVENTS

Public Participation Guide: Charrettes | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Crafting Charrettes That Transform Communities | American Planning Association
Conducting Public Forums and Listening Sessions | Community Tool Box, Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas

STAGE 3: PRIORITIZE AND DEVELOP SHARED OUTCOMES

Resources for Identifying and Prioritizing Shared Outcomes

The following resources offer guidance within the three overall steps toward identifying and prioritizing shared outcomes: Consider shared outcomes, Engage stakeholders and Plan an approach.

CONSIDER SHARED OUTCOMES

Housing Outcomes (Appendix C) and Education Outcomes (Appendix D)
Housing as a Platform for Improving Child and Youth Education Outcomes | Stewards for Affordable Housing for the Future and Urban Institute

ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS

Shared Outcomes Discussion Guide (Appendix F)

PLAN AN APPROACH

Theory of Change: A Practical Tool for Action, Results and Learning | Organizational Research Services, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Aim Statement | Minnesota Department of Health
Program Evaluation Framework Checklist: Describe the Program | Program Performance and Evaluation Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Logic Model Development Guide | W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Introduction to the Results Count™ Path to Equity: A Guide to the Accountability for Equitable Results Framework |The Annie E. Casey Foundation

STAGE 4: PARTNER AND IMPLEMENT CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS

Resources on Partnership Roles and Agreements

The following resources provide background on structuring partnerships, from creating a Memoranda of Understanding to assigning roles and shared responsibilities.

Collaboration Toolkit: Creating an MOU | Colorado Collaboration Award, Colorado Nonprofit Association
Overview of roles and responsibilities, worksheet and guidance document, downloadable MOU template |access2innovation

Resources for Outcome Measurement

The following resources outline the key elements and steps for outcome measurement, as articulated in Stage 4: Identify indicators, Create a data collection and measurement plan, Establish data-sharing agreements, and Adopt continuous and collaborative improvement models.

IDENTIFY INDICATORS

Building Impact: A Closer Look at Local Cross-Sector Collaborations for Education | Teacher’s College, Columbia University |Chapter 12: Using Data, pages 74–81
Addressing the Problem of Chronic Absenteeism: A Promising School-Community Partnership | Communities In Schools
Criteria and Benchmarks for Achieving the Goal of Ending Youth Homelessness | U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

CREATE A DATA COLLECTION AND MEASUREMENT PLAN

Data Governance Tool Kit Guiding Framework | The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Data Governance for Two-Generation Programs | The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Data Collection Guide and Template | Colorado Department of Education
Create a Detailed Data Collection Plan | The Institute for Educational Leadership — Coalition for Community Schools |pages 4–5

ESTABLISH DATA-SHARING AGREEMENTS

Collection of Example Data-Sharing Agreements: Education | National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, Urban Institute
Collection of Example Data-Sharing Agreements: Homelessness + Housing | National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, Urban Institute
Believe to Become Master Data Sharing Agreement for Education Data | National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, Urban Institute
Housing and Education Cross-Systems Collaboration: Examples | HUD Exchange, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Measuring Performance: A Guidance Document for Promise Neighborhoods on Collecting Data and Reporting Results | Urban Institute, U.S. Department of Education | pages 145–156

ADOPT CONTINUOUS AND COLLABORATIVE IMPROVEMENT MODELS

Promise Partnership of Salt Lake City | StriveTogether Network
E3 Alliance | StriveTogether Network
Defining CQI [Continuous Quality Improvement] and Building a CQI Framework | Child and Family Services Review Information Portal
Quality Self-Assessment Tool for Expanded Learning Programs | Partnership for Children & Youth
PDSA: Plan-Do-Study-Act | Minnesota Department of Health
Tracking the Well-Being of San Antonio’s Children and Families | National Neighborhood Indicators Project, Urban Institute
Building Impact: A Closer Look at Local Cross-Sector Collaborations for Education | Teacher’s College, Columbia University | page 100
How to Integrate Continuous Learning into Collective Impact | Collective Impact Forum
Culture of Continuous Learning Project: Theory of Change | Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Targeted and Universal Strategies Achieve Better and More Equitable Results | The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Results Count™

STAGE 5: SUSTAIN PARTNERSHIPS FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE

Resources for Conducting Evaluations

In addition to the resources included in the toolkit section describing Stage 5 of partnership, the following resources offer guidance on how evaluation strategies and practices can help build evidence of a program’s effectiveness or create momentum for systems change.

EVALUATION PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

Evaluation Capacity Diagnostic Tool | Informing Change
Reflections on Applying Principles of Equitable Evaluation | The WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Center, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Placing Equity Concerns at the Center of Knowledge Development | Center for the Study of Social Policy
Evaluating Comprehensive Community Initiatives | Community Tool Box, Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas
Partnerships: Frameworks for Working Together | Strengthening Nonprofits: A Capacity Builder’s Resource Library | pages 26–28
Guide to Evaluating Collective Impact | Collective Impact Forum
Strengthening Evaluation Literacy: Demystifying Participatory and Collaborative Approaches to Evaluation | Tamarack Institute
What Counts: Harnessing Data for America’s Communities | NeighborWorks America, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Urban Institute

EXAMPLES OF EVALUATION PLANS

CLN Kids Draft Evaluation Plan | CLN Kids, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy: Implementation and Evaluation Plan | Seattle Department of Education & Early Learning | pages 16–20

Using Evidence to Drive Systems Change

In addition to the examples included in Stage 5, the following resources offer examples of how evidence collected through formal evaluation or program implementation can be used to communicate about and advocate for policy and systems change.