2000115-Strengthening-Communities-with-Neighborhood-Data

Using Data for City and Regional Strategies 227
a “starter kit” to help local groups assess health issues and implement
health-promotion programs.
More than 100 cities, counties, and regions have signed up to join the
Grade Level Reading Communities Network, launching local cross-sector
coalitions to craft holistic solutions to improve reading proficiency. To join
the network, the community must develop an approved Community Solutions
Action Plan, which emphasizes the need for reliable data disaggregated
by population group and school. The Community Solutions Action
Plan requires the applicant to describe the current situation and trends
related to grade-level reading, as well as the larger demographic and economic
context. The applicant also commits to having ongoing availability
of and access to the data needed to “set baselines, track progress and ensure
accountability.”
School absenteeism is one focus area for the campaign. Chang’s essay at
the end of this chapter describes four elements of sustainable community–
school coalitions for addressing absenteeism: actionable data, capacity
building, shared accountability, and positive messaging. She explains how
adopting an improved measure—the share of children missing 10 percent
or more of school days—enables coalitions to identify the children
at most risk better than the use of alternative measures that use absolute
days or average days attended. Chang concludes her essay by sharing the
implications of chronic absence for neighborhood initiatives.
Examples of Strategic Use of
Neighborhood Data: Case Studies
There are innumerable examples of how neighborhood data are being used
to address critical challenges facing metropolitan areas across the nation. 10
In this section, we present three cases that illustrate common themes and
innovative approaches that are being used by neighborhood data intermediaries
to address concerns in neighborhoods across cities or regions.
Case Study: Improving Children’s Health
in Travis County, Texas
The work of the Austin community in measuring and confronting child
obesity in its region demonstrates many of the functions of community
information listed in chapter 2, beginning with a presentation of the extent