Learning Library

Our Learning Library is intended as a virtual resource center where professionals can go for a broad range of information relating to interoperability, information-sharing and the six domains in which NIC primarily works: human services, education, public health, public safety, health information technology and emergency services. We have vetted and aggregated numerous studies, guidance documents and other materials, which can be sorted in a variety of ways for easy access and use – and we will add resources continually over time. The Learning Library is available to all professionals interested in the subject matter.

To make the Learning Library as robust and beneficial as possible, we welcome recommendations of relevant content that users encounter elsewhere, that they have produced themselves or that they are already utilizing. Please fill out and submit the form below to provide your suggestions and comments, or send an email to info@stewardsofchange.org.

05-24-2018 Roadmap

Roadmap for Cross-Agency Data Governance

Data governance provides state agencies a structure in which to define the roles and responsibilities needed to ensure clear processes for collecting and reporting education data and to ensure accountability for data quality and security. To make informed policy decisions across agencies, such as the state education agency and early childhood, higher education, and workforce agencies, cross-agency data governance is needed. This roadmap provides recommendations for states who are looking to develop and implement a high-quality cross-agency data governance committee.

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05-21-2018 Handbook

California Health and Human Services Agency Data Playbook

Data changes everything. The Playbook can be used by Departments to solve problems with data. It is designed to help build an organizational culture that is focused on data and data-driven decision making. Departments can leverage the various components of the Playbook as they see fit and can customize the Playbook to their needs.

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05-15-2018 Report

DASH Bright Spot: A Legal Approach to Sharing Health & Education Data

Increasing research indicates that education and health are linked.  The Chicago Department of Public Health partnered with Chicago Public Schools for the Chicago 2.0 Plan, which focuses largely on education. Chicago 2.0 works to address the root cause of poor health in its communities, through bringing agencies together.  

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05-14-2018 Report

In the NIC of Time: Six Domains of Primary Focus for the National Interoperability

This document seeks to examine the workings of each of the six domains; identify and analyze their successes, problems, commonalities and intersections; and then, based on that learning and additional research by NIC’s leader organizations, help them work more cooperatively and interoperatively to deal with a broad array of issues (such as public health crises). The six domains are: human and social services; public health; public education; public safety; emergency medical services; and health information technology, which differs from the others in that it cuts across domains and is critical to their operations. The mission and work of each domain are summarized in this document.

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05-14-2018 Web Page

The California Healthy Places Index (HPI): Public Health Alliance of Southern California

A tool developed by the Public Health Alliance of Southern California with Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center on Society and Health, for health professionals and communities to explore and address the health of California communities. This tool provides overall scores and detailed data to identify policy action areas with the greatest potential to impact population health. 

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05-14-2018 Article

Can an Algorithm Tell When Kids Are in Danger?

New question: Which families are most at risk and in need of help? Not which services to provide, but to whom. It would be unethical not to use the currently most accurate predictive analytics tool. The presence of bias, despite the algorithm, is recognized, but still seen as an oppotunity for more screening consistency.  In attempts to limit the effects of bias, objective risk measures were added to the screening process. 

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05-14-2018 Article

Managing the Flow: Predictive Analytics in Child Welfare

Technology and the need for predictive analytic risk modeling are outpacing questions around ethical use. There are two “currents” of thought 1. academics and public agency administrators, 2. big software and analytics firms.  How will the power of predictive analytics be checked and monitored for bias?

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05-14-2018 Article

A Child Abuse Prediction Model Fails Poor Families

Predictive models to predict child abuse are a useful tool, but have human bias of their creators embedded in them. Disproportionate racial bias exists in referral rates, the definitions of maltreatment, and the types of data collected -majority on measures of poverty. The Allegheny Family Screening Tool is no exception to these complexities. 

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05-14-2018 Report

Advancing State Data Sharing for Better Economic and Workforce Development

State administrative data is key to evaluating the effectiveness of state programs. Access to reliable administrative data can provide an evidence-base for policymaker’s decisions on public investment and development programs. The role of independent data intermediaries supports access to information with public interest at the forefront. Improved data sharing can lead to: better research, quality of administration records, quick identification of data errors, identification of system improvement for higher quality data. Success requires active management of data sharing processes by data stewards.  

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