Keep up with the Institute for Social Capital: July newsletter
ISC out and about
Bill Anderson, Executive Director of MeckEd and Amy Hawn Nelson, ISC Director, attend a community event with Amy’s new baby, Fincher Louisa Nelson, who was born February 22, 2014. Fincher is already becoming known around town as Civic Baby (photo above).
ISC Team members attend an event hosted by UNC Charlotte as part of the series: Real Talk – A Community Conversation – The Black American Male and Why He Still Matters in the 21st Century.
New data deposits
In the past several months, ISC signed a number of new data sharing agreements with community partners. Over the next few months these data will be deposited into the ISC Database and added to the ISC.
| New Data Sharing Agreements | Current Data Deposits |
|---|---|
| A Child’s Place | Central Piedmont Community College |
| Charlotte Family Housing | Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools |
| Charlotte Housing Authority | Homeless Management Information Systems |
| Communities in Schools | Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services– Youth and Family Services, Economic Services, and Services for Adults. |
| Kannapolis City Schools | Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office |
| Mecklenburg County Support Services, Veteran’s Services | |
| Mecklenburg Partnership for Children (SmartStart) | |
| The Relatives |
Aggregate data pulls
ISC received approval from the ISC Board of Directors to allow aggregate data pulls from the ISC Community Database. The idea of aggregate data pulls came about from a need in the community to have numbers on certain topics to help with activities such as grant applications, initial exploration into whether the ISC database can address a research question, better understanding of multi-agency involved populations, and data stories.
Additional details with regard to the cost for data pulls and how complex the aggregate pulls can be will need to be determined. The same depositor safeguards apply, including veto power, approval of release, and approval of final results before dissemination.
ISC codebook
The ISC Database Information Portal is a secure website where properly credentialed researchers can search an online version of our database codebook. This codebook will be important in helping researchers and community partners understand the potential uses for the ISC database as well as how to request data. The codebook is available at charlotteresearch.info.
ISC director selected as William C. Friday Fellow for Human Relations
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Amy Hawn Nelson, director of ISC and director of research at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, was selected to be part of the 2014-2016 class of William C. Friday Fellows for Human Relations. This prestigious fellowship seeks to “cultivate a network of courageous leaders who connect across differences in identity and ideas to develop new solutions to the complex challenges facing the people and communities of North Carolina through a human relations lens”. Click here to read press release. |
Meet our new staff
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Davidson Scholar, Addie Balenger Addie Balenger joined the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and Institute for Social Capital in June 2014. As a summer intern, she assists on research projects and program evaluations focused on education. Addie is a rising senior at Davidson College, and her internship is part of Davidson’s Education Scholars summer program that places 10 students in Charlotte who work at some level in the city’s education ecosystem. In the fall, she will return to Davidson to complete her double major in Economics and English. Originally from Atlanta, this is Addie’s first time living in Charlotte. |
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Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) Policy and Advocacy Fellow, Lauren Zachary Lauren joined the Institute for Social capital in June of 2014. She received her BA in American Studies from Williams College and afterward taught middle school Social Studies as a Teach for America corps member. This summer she is a Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) Policy and Advocacy Fellow. As a part of the fellowship she will complete meaningful policy and advocacy work directly with the Urban Institute. She will be working directly with researchers to deepen relationships within the Charlotte region and enhance research skills. Lauren is from South Carolina but has lived in Charlotte for the past two years. After the summer she will continue her involvement in policy and advocacy work. |
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Highlighted project using ISC community database
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Title: Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools Summer Program Evaluation
Research Team: Diane Gavarkavich, Social Research Specialist, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute; Dr. Amy Hawn Nelson, Director, Institute for Social Capital; Selena Skorman, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute Social Research Assistant. |
Study Description:
This mixed-methods study will describe the change in non-cognitive outcomes in students who attend Freedom School Partners Summer Programs. Research findings will serve to allow Freedom School Partners to better understand their population and what impact the program has on non-cognitive outcomes. Recommendations for best practices will be provided as appropriate.
IDS research spotlight
The Children’s Data Network at the University of Southern California, an integrated data system, created a video that both explains integrated data systems and explores the type of research that can be accomplished by breaking down institutional silos and using administrative data to research important community issues. Click here to watch the video.
Data in the news:
- Why do state and local school agencies underinvest in evidence? “State and local leaders bear a responsibility to study the consequences of their decisions. We will make much faster progress when they do… locally derived evidence will be more influential in local policy debates.” Click to read more.
- What does residential and school mobility mean for place-based programs? “High rates of mobility in low-income neighborhoods raise the question of whether the people these investments intend to help most remain in those neighborhoods long enough to benefit from community changes.” Click to read more.
- Bill to make over federal education research quietly passes the house. “The U.S. House of Representatives gave quick and quiet approval to a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Education Science Reform Act, with an eye toward making federal K-12 research more relevant and timely for those out in the field.” Click to read more.
- Medicaid Expansion Leads to Fewer High School Dropouts and More College Graduates: Study. “Amid the ongoing debate over 24 states’ refusal to expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, a recent report by the National Bureau of Economic Research has found that expanding health insurance coverage for low-income children resulted in fewer high school dropouts, higher college attendance rates and a better likelihood of attaining a bachelor’s degree.” Click to read more.
Grant opportunities
ISC has compiled a list of grant opportunities that could be used to conduct research using the ISC community database. Click here
| Grantor/Granting Agency | Type of Grant (RFP, Application Letter, LOI, etc.) | Due Date | Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo | Application | August 31, 2014 | Community development, education, arts and culture, civic engagement, human services |
| Fifth Third Foundation | Application | See Application | Community development, civic engagement, social capital, respect diversity, bridge differences among individuals, organizations and communities |
| Bank of America | Proposal (RFP) | July 21, 2013 through August 8, 2014 Check back next year for Job and Housing related funding | Job, workforce development and education, housing, community development, hunger, basic human services |
| Duke Energy Foundation |
Proposal/Application |
Not listed |
Environment, economic development, education, community vitality |
| Blumenthal Foundation | Application Letter | Rolling | Arts, science, and culture, civic and community, education, environment, foundation affiliates, health, Jewish institutions and philanthropies, religious and interfaith, social services |
| Merancas Foundation | LOI | February 15 & August 15 | Social services (food, shelter and clothing), health and welfare, children’s education, vocational training, English as second language, disaster relief; charlotte, NC focus |
| Philip L. Van Every Foundation | LOI | Rolling; Next Board Meeting in September | Education, healthcare and rehabilitation, human & community service, and arts, culture, history; NC & SC focus |
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | LOI | Rolling | Service demonstrations, gathering and monitoring of health-related statistics, public education, training and fellowship programs, policy analysis, health services research, technical assistance, communications activities, evaluations |
| Spencer Foundation | RFP | Rolling | Initiative on philosophy in educational policy and practice; nationwide |
| Z. Smith Reynolds | Application | August 1, 2014 | Community economic development, environment, public education, social justice & equity, and strengthening democracy; also offer general operating support ; NC focused |
LOI: Letter of Intent
Community feedback
ISC wants to hear from you! What research do you think our community needs more of? What data would you like to see integrated into ISC?
Click here to provide your feedback
Grants
Want to learn more about grants and RFP opportunities?
Click here to read more
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