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Capitol
Conversations 2003
The
Children, Youth and Family Consortium, University of Minnesota,
is proud to present the 2003 Capitol Conversations:
A new
dialogue
about research and public policy held in a dynamic forum for faculty
and legislators.
Goals
-
Create a sustained forum for two-way conversations between legislators
and University faculty.
- Build mutual trust between legislators and University
faculty.
- Support University faculty and legislators in ongoing
efforts to develop and use policy-relevant research.
Dates
and Time
The conversations were held from 7:30-9:00 a.m. on
Wednesday, January 15
Tuesday, January 21
Thursday January 30
Location
Room 230 Minnesota Judicial Center
25 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
St Paul, MN 55155
Intended
Audience
The Capitol Conversations 2003 were intended for University of Minnesota
faculty and researchers and Minnesota State Legislators and their
staff.
Parking Information
Centennial Ramp is the closest parking ramp and is located directly
across from the Minnesota Judicial Center entrance on Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd. There are also various
lots and street metered parking available nearby.
Topics
January
15, 2003
Creating the Conversation: Policy Relevant Research on Children,
Youth and Family Issues
In this initial conversation, legislators and faculty exchanged
ideas about communication gaps between researchers and policy makers.
Recent research has concluded that
"
The most frequently cited constraint for linking research and policymaking,
mentioned by over 80% of decisionmakers, researchers, and committee
members who review research proposals, is the lack of direct communication
between researchers and policy makers." (Bogenschneider, et
.al. "Connecting Research and Policymaking: Implications for
Theory and Practice from the Family Impact Seminars.” Family
Relations. Vol.49, No.3, 2000.)
In an effort to forge new pathways of communication and trust, both
legislators and faculty shared their perspectives in a panel presentation,
followed by open discussion. Conclusions reached will be used
to shape
subsequent conversations.
Facilitated by Martha Farrell Erickson, Director, Children, Youth
& Family Consortium, University of Minnesota.
Panelists:
John Brandl, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs,
U of M
Joän Patterson, Epidemiology, School of Public Health, U of M
State Representative Barb Sykora
Highlights
from January 15, 2003
- Key
differences exist between researchers and policy makers when it comes
to the questions they ask and the roles they play. Yet despite these
differences, legislators and faculty share important values: they
care deeply about the well-being of Minnesota’s children, youth
and families and have a common passion to do good work as public servants.
-
Creating a conversation between legislators and faculty requires trust
and respect on both sides, and a belief that each has something to
contribute to the other's work. The skills necessary to effectively
communicate with each other can be identified and practiced by legislators
and researchers, as well as graduate students preparing to enter the
many professions that touch the lives of children, youth and families.
-
Establishing
and maintaining relationships between individual faculty and legislators
is both a great challenge and a great reward. CYFC is a good starting
point for this process as it was established to foster partnerships
and linkages around children, youth and family issues.
Minutes From January 15, 2003
January 21, 2003
How to Know When a Program is Effective
This
second conversation delved into the issue of program effectiveness
and the various ways to hold programs and policies accountable and
use results in decision-making. Although some programs have been
evaluating
their work for decades, decision makers are now asking for "evidence-based"
programs and the outcomes they produce. What are realistic expectations
for holding programs and policies accountable? Most importantly, what
measurement efforts provide information that is truly useful to decision
makers?
Facilitated by Scott McConnell, Director, Center for Early Education
and Development, College of Education and Human Development, University
of Minnesota.
Panelists:
Jean King, Evaluation Studies, College of Education and Human Development,
U of M
Dale Blyth, Center for 4-H Youth Development, Extension Service, U
of M
Jan Hogan, Family Social Science, College of Human Ecology, U of M
State Auditor Jim Nobles
Highlights
from January 21, 2003
- Evaluating
programs and policies is
a complex task because there
are different ways of assessing
effectiveness, as well as
differences in interpreting
and communicating evaluation
results.
- Building
evaluation into program
development
and budgets up
front is critical to make
sure it happens.
Building
capacity within an organization
to do evaluation
is
an emerging field that may
help do this
work with less funding.
- Values
enter into the evaluation
process at many points. Researchers are seldom totally
objective; values guide their methodology
and research. In similar
fashion, legislators and
others may not want to hear
the results of research if it
doesn't fit with or support
their values or beliefs.
- All
policies have an impact on
kids/families, even though the impact may not be
evident
at first glance.
- There
is a strong bias in doing over knowing at both the
legislative and the program levels.
This often leads
to cutting funds for evaluation and creates the
potential of supporting ineffective
or even harmful programs.
Minutes
From January 21, 2003
January 30, 2003
Decision Making in Tough Budget Times
The final conversation focused on decision making during
times of fiscal shortfalls. How can we prioritize
and target dollars so
that programs that are cost-effective
are sustained? Do measurement and evaluation tools
help policy-makers do their job well? What contribution
can research make to this process? What
role can the University play in supporting public
policy makers? The group discussed examples
of research that are policy-relevant
and can be used in the policy decision-making
process.
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks joined
the conversation to share the University's
commitment to conducting and disseminating high quality,
policy-relevant research.
Welcome:
U of M President Robert Bruininks
Facilitated by:
John Brandl, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs,
U of M
Panelists:
Megan Gunnar, Institute of Child Development, College of Education
and Human Development, U of M
Michael Resnick, Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Medical School,
U of M
State Senator Mee Moua
Highlights
from January 30, 2003
- We
need to have a clear sense of the outcomes we want for children,
youth and families in Minnesota, and these outcomes need to be
guided by mutually
agreed upon principles.
- There
is a convergence of strong research in early childhood neuroscience and
adolescent risk and protective factors that can provide direction in
identifying the kinds of investments that will reap high returns.
- Research
has powerful but not obvious application for policy making in tough
budget times. Researchers and legislators must work together to
find the research applications and to evaluate and report
the public outcomes of research-based policies.
- Strong
relationships between faculty researchers and legislators can be established
and maintained through reflective conversations like
these, and also through legislative task forces that
address specific topics and recommend actions.
- Research
results are not the only factors that guide policy makers. Personal
experiences, core principles, and commitment to the communities
they serve are coupled with research knowledge to
guide legislators in allocating resources in tough times.
Minutes
From January 30, 2003
For more information about Capitol Conversations, please contact:
Joan Sykora
Children, Youth and Family Consortium
University of Minnesota
jsykora@umn.edu
612-625-7849
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