1. Elements of Effective Networks and Coalitions
Travis Merrigan
Jenee Myers Twitchell
March 28, 2012
WCAN State Conference

3. Who are we? Travis Merrigan Jenee Myers Twitchell Eastern WA WCAN
7 years in college admissions
Jenee Myers Twitchell
University of Washington Dream Project
PhD Student; dissertation work on postsecondary success coalitions

4. Who are you? Region K-12, Post-secondary, Non-profit, Gov’t
Length of CAN engagement

5. What this presentation and isn’t
What we know and don’t know about networks in general
Discussion of why this is complex work
Challenges for networks
Hunches about best practices
Is NOT:
A handbook for how to create the perfect network
A set of Dos and Don’ts for networks

7. What we know about networks
Types of local coalitions and networks
Promise Neighborhoods/Strive Networks
Wohlstetter (et al), Social Science Quarterly, 2004
Collective impact work
Kania & Kramer, Stanford, 2011
School-community partnerships, school-university partnerships
Honig & McDonald, “From Promise to Participation” (White Paper), 2005
Jenee = most bullets
Travis = practitioner perspective

8. What makes CANs special
Less known about CANs
Fewer formal policy levers
Working under conditions of ambiguity
Roles and timelines
Promising new research
Domina, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2009

9. Contexts Organizations represented Urban vs. Rural
Multi- and Single-district
Leadership capacity

10. Organizations represented:
Volunteer, ad-hoc, range of formality
Representatives:
CBOs/College Access Intervention Programs
School staff
District leaders
City leaders
State education organization leaders
Funders
University, college, and CC representatives
Backbone organizations

11. Urban & Rural Contexts in WA
Proximity to colleges/universities
Number of districts/schools served
Number of community partners
Ways of gaining legitimacy
Turf wars

12. Multi- vs. Single-District
One main contact for K-12 school change vs. multiple
One set of policies vs. multiple
Flood of resources vs. a lack of resources

13. Leadership Capacity
Attendees’ ability to affect change in home organization
Is CAN work part of ‘day job’?
Example

14. What we’ve learned in the field and from our research…
Networks are hard work
Collaboration ≠ easier work
True collaborations reorient organizations, not just surface-level meetings and conversations
Coalitions impact postsecondary success more than individual organizations alone

15. Common, Promising Strategies
Right leaders at the table for every meeting
Boundary spanners (specialized knowledge)
Overcome ambiguity through ‘low-hanging fruit’
College Bound Scholarship & FAFSA
Building trust across organizations
Scripts and stereotypes
Vocabulary matters

16. Questions What rang true for you?
Is there anything that you would add to “what is promising” or “what is challenging” about this work?
Shut up 10