seven steps of highly successful cross-sector policy and practice

Posted by on November 13, 2011

The seven steps of highly successful cross-sector policy and practice

With policies and strategies at all levels of government associating educational outcomes with community planning and housing, a new report from the Urban Institute offers seven steps to link education and planning policy at the local level. The report puts forward actions that can greatly benefit low-income communities of color faced with substandard housing and high poverty, where conditions undermine health and economic prosperity and overwhelm schools. The report recognizes that challenges remain for local officials and practitioners trying to align these policy areas, including persistent spatial inequity and rigid institutional silos. For cross-sector policy and practice that promotes positive educational outcomes in tandem with housing, transportation, and sustainable community policies, the report recommends seven important action steps for planners, policymakers, educators, and others. In order, these are: get to know your educational landscape; engage school leaders, families, and young people in planning and development; establish a shared vision and metrics for linking high-quality education to economic prosperity at community and regional levels; support the whole life of learners through services and amenities; align bricks-and-mortar investment for regional prosperity; maximize access to opportunity through affordable transportation; and institutionalize what works to secure gains and ensure ongoing innovation.

See the report: http://www.urban.org/publications/1001544.html