chicago benchmarking collaborative
The Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative capitalizes on the strengths of six significant human service agencies, making it possible to make data-based program improvements that deeply and tangibly improve client outcomes. The Collaborative creates an infrastructure for these agencies to share best practices and implement data-driven decisions. The group’s goal is to maximize each agency’s impact on clients by enhancing service delivery.
Prior to the Collaborative, each participating agency could benchmark its programmatic impact against itself only. The Collaborative is developing the cross-agency/sector infrastructure that focuses on results and generates the data-focused infrastructures that make a long-term difference for agencies and clients.
The six participating agencies (listed above) create standardized outcomes for clients, employ the same research-based assessments, track data in a shared database, and discuss it together. Information standardization and sharing increases accountability and creates higher-quality programs for 10,000 children and families throughout Chicago, including Albany Park, Armour Square, Avondale, Belmont Cragin, Chinatown, Humboldt Park, Little Village, Logan Square, the Near North Side, Pilsen, Rogers Park, West Town, West Englewood, and Uptown. Currently, the Collaborative tracks outcomes in Out-of School (5-18 year-olds), Early Childhood (0-5), and Adult Literacy/Workforce Development (18+) programs.
Below is a sample of some of the quantitative impact the Collaborative has already made on clients:
- Early Childhood Goal: Percentage of children who increase scores across developmental domains: 76% social/emotional, 93% physical, 76% cognitive, and 68% language
- Youth Programs Goal: Percentage of students who enter post-secondary education: 91%
- Workforce Development Goal: Percentage of clients still working after 180 days: 94%
- Adult Literacy Programs Goal: Percentage of students who grow 1 point+ on the BEST: 80%
As the Collaborative moves ahead, it has established five key strategies for the coming three years: 1) Improving inter-agency collaboration to deepen impact, 2) scaling the Collaborative, 3) expanding technological and human resources, 4) sharing learnings beyond the Collaborative members, and 5) optimizing the Collaborative’s structure.