Part%20C%20and%20Preschool%20Child%20Outcome%20Indicators

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Effective Communication about Child Outcomes Data
Lynne Kahn Kathy Hebbeler Alice Ridgway Cornelia
Bruckner
Presented at the OSEP National Early Childhood
Conference Washington, DC, December 2008
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Being prepared.

• When the first wave of child outcomes data
  becomes available, how will we talk about the
  data with
• The media?
• State legislators?
• Families?
• Early intervention and 619 providers?
• Other key stakeholders in your state?

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Being prepared..

• Know the data and what they mean
• Think ahead about how to talk with the public
  about the data.
• Write out the specific messages you want to make.

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Being prepared.

• Develop a 1-2 page Fact Sheet that summarizes the
  findings and your messages.
• See public reporting as an opportunity to get out
  key messages that will educate policy-maker and
  the public about the program.

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Be proactive in framing the message..

• These are your data for your program
• You know the data and the program
• You are in the best position to share the stories
  in the data
• Dont let others write the stories for you

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Tips for Framing

• See Zero to Threes web site for a series of
  papers on framing

http//www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagenam
eter_pub_framing OR www.Zerotothree.org search
on framing
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Framing

• Frame your message to focus on new ideas and your
  frame
• Dont lead with an old frame it reinforces the
  old frame
• Consider
• These data give us an exciting opportunity to
  look at our programs
• Vs.
• We all know accountability can be scary
• We are required to collect these data

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Bridging

• Easy to let a questioner take you off message
• Bridging, commonly referred to as answering a
  question by not answering the question, is a way
  to segue from a reporters stated question to the
  information you want to communicate to the
  audience.

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Rules for Bridging

• Rule 1 Never repeat a negative frame.
• Rule 2 Know how your interview will be
  used.
• Rule 3 Frame the data or dont fight
  narrative with numbers.
• Rule 4 Use metaphors to bridge.
• Rule 5 Contextualize
• ---The Frameworks
  Institute

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Solutions-based storytelling

• Your job is to help public and policymakers
  understand that your program is addressing an
  important social need.
• Tell the solution first, then back into the
  definition of the issue or problem.
• Dont be Chicken Little

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Framing the message

• Lead with the positive
• These programs are providing critical services
  and supports
• These data provide an opportunity
• We are excited that we will be able to.

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Emphasize that this is the beginning of a long
term commitment to having good data on outcomes
..

• We are looking forward to having more and better
  data as time goes by.
• We are looking forward to using this information
  to help policy-makers and the public see the
  value in these programs and to improve them.

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Acknowledge the contribution of the local
programs (cont)

• Our programs have made incredible progress in
  learning how to collect and report these data in
  a very short time period.
• We continue to work with programs to.
• Other statements?

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Describe the numbers in simple ways .

• Understand the data inside and out
• But share only the key points in simple language
• So what are the key points????

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It starts with understanding the data . . .

• 2 state examples
• Entry data
• Progress data
• Lets mine for the gold!

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Where did these statements come from?

• State 1
• 27 of the children entered the program
  functioning at age expectations in their social
  relationships
• By exit, 45 were at age expectations.

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Where did these statements come from?

• State 1
• 98 of the children improved their thinking and
  problem solving during their participation in the
  program.
• The remaining 2 of the children include children
  with degenerative conditions, . . .

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Where did these statements come from?

• State 1
• While 79 of the children entered the program
  below age expectations in their ability to
  successfully get their needs met,
• 42 were functioning at age expectations by exit
  from the program.

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Where did these statements come from?

• State 1
• The children in this report include
• 20 who were at age expectations
• 51 who were somewhat below age expectations, and
• 21 who were well below age expectations
• in their thinking, reasoning, and problem solving

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Where did these statements come from?

• State 1
• Of the 766 children who entered the program below
  age expectations in their social relationships,
  58 made significant progress in closing the gap
  by the time they exited from the program.
• 33 made enough progress to move closer to age
  expectations and 25 completely reached age
  expectations.

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Can you find the data?

• State 2
• ? of the children entered the program
  functioning at age expectations in their social
  relationships
• By exit, ? were at age expectations.

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Can you find the data?

• State 2
• ? of the children improved their thinking and
  problem solving during their participation in the
  program.
• The ? of the children include children with
  degenerative conditions, . . .

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Can you find the data?

• State 2
• While ? of the children entered the program
  below age expectations in their ability to
  successfully get their needs met,
• ? were functioning at age expectations by exit
  from the program.

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Table discussions

• What else can we say about the children in these
  2 states from the entry and progress data?

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(No Transcript)
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Intensity

• Membership The potential total number of hours
  of direct regular education and special education
  service provided through the IFSP/IEP plus hours
  of indirect
• Range 1,304 hours to less than 10 hours
• Mean 195 hours
• Attendance Membership minus absence
• Range 100 to less than 10
• Mean 89

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Intensity Groupings

• Group 1 500 hours or more
• Group 2 300 - 499 hours
• Group 3 200 299 hours
• Group 4 100 199 hours
• Group 5 50 99 hours
• Group 6 lt50 hours

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Mean Entry Rating by Intensity Group
Group Soc/Emot Know/Skills Action/Needs
1 500 3.49 3.35 4.14
2 300-499 3.42 3.69 4.24
3 200-299 3.85 4.01 4.55
4 100-199 4.31 4.49 5.03
5 50-99 4.92 5.02 5.65
6 lt50 5.46 5.27 5.97
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Progress Category by Intensity Group