Title: Half of Our Future. A Report by the Non-Traditional Occupations Task Force of the Division... more Title: Half of Our Future. A Report by the Non-Traditional Occupations Task Force of the Division of Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of Education, State of Connecticut. ... Half of Our Future. A Report by the Non-Traditional Occupations Task ...
Virtual communities of practice (COPs) are fast becoming a basic work unit in a networked world. ... more Virtual communities of practice (COPs) are fast becoming a basic work unit in a networked world. The relationship between COPs, Knowledge Management, and the Learning Organisation is a question of priority for social sector leaders, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners as they seek to establish ways to maintain relevance and effectiveness in the volatile environments in which they work (Thomas et al, 2005). When well executed, virtual COPs produce results because the knowledge is stewarded: organised for learning, poised for action, and planned for sustainability. In this paper, we document and analyse the actors and factors that, in our experience, contribute to success: Enlightened Leadership, Compelling Work, Appropriate Technology and Knowledge Sustainability. Over the last two years we have worked with new virtual COPs in both the public and non-profit sectors. The outsized successes prove the power of this approach to work. The under-performers help define the paramet...
The human services field is fueled by knowledge. Insights into how human service programs work an... more The human services field is fueled by knowledge. Insights into how human service programs work and why practices succeed or fail rests in the experience of exceptional practitioners. Systematically organizing agency staff to leverage knowledge remains a challenge, though. How can an agency make the best use of the knowledge that its employees possess? The Challenge December 2003 Policy & Practice 23 The Solution Online collaboration, specifically Communities of Practice, is one solu-tion. By taking full advantage of the "socialness" of the Internet and its propensity to build communities, public human service administrators can change the nature of human service work. But what are Communities of Practice? They are groups of people who come together around common interests and expertise. In a human service agency, they can consist of case managers, program providers, policy staff, experts, advocates, researchers, clients, trainers, and partner agencies. Through the use of t...
The Jam on the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) took place on September 16, 2009. It was spon... more The Jam on the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) took place on September 16, 2009. It was sponsored by Knowledge in the Public Interest (KPI), convened by the Brookings Institution, the Education Commission of the States, and Jobs for the Future, with LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC/CUNY) as the lead college. The Jam on the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) sought to help a wide range of participants understand the benefits and consequences of what President Obama’s administration is proposing, and to organize a community on behalf of every community college in the U.S. The conversation ultimately revealed what participants believe the Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, state leaders and national associations must know to ensure that the potential of the AGI is realized.
One goal of this paper is to present an integrated tripartite model of violence, with a focus on ... more One goal of this paper is to present an integrated tripartite model of violence, with a focus on structural violence within an oppression paradigm. Using qualitative and quantitative data from 27 women (70% African American and 30% European American) who participated in a national substance abuse treatment demonstration program, we describe a model of violence in which structural violence is presented within a transactional relationship with interpersonal, and intrapersonal violence. We suggest that the effects of structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal violence are magnified when race and poverty are considered. The second goal of the paper is to present a preliminary test of the new model of violence. Results indicated that different levels and types of violence are interrelated. Implications of these findings for empowering solutions are suggested.
To evaluate the effectiveness of a multiservice intervention designed to move substance-abusing w... more To evaluate the effectiveness of a multiservice intervention designed to move substance-abusing women on welfare to sobriety and self-sufficiency by addressing their substance abuse, domestic violence, employment, and basic needs. A field evaluation with repeated measures at 6 and 12 months on an intent-to-treat sample of 529 women conducted in 11 selected sites across the country. There were significant improvements shown in substance use and family and social functioning by the 6-month point, and additional improvements in employment by the 12-month point. By 12 months, more than 46% were abstinent from alcohol and other drugs, and 30% were employed at least part-time. There were only modest improvements shown in the medical and psychiatric status of these women. These preliminary findings suggest that site-level interagency coordination and program-level case management were associated with improvements in the targeted areas as predicted by the model. Future work will require a more closely specified, manual-guided form of the intervention plus the inclusion of control groups and cost measures to fully evaluate the cost benefits from the final form of the intervention.
This article provides a brief overview of CASAWORKS for Families (CWF), an innovative interventio... more This article provides a brief overview of CASAWORKS for Families (CWF), an innovative intervention designed to help substance-abusing parenting women on welfare. CWF was developed in response to the passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996. Factors that provided a background and context for the development of CWF are considered. The rationale, key elements, and the conduct of a pilot demonstration of CWF are described. Evaluation findings that serve to guide the next steps to improve the intervention are reviewed. Finally, new welfare policy priorities emerging around the importance of addressing behavioral health problems among welfare recipients are highlighted.
Title: Half of Our Future. A Report by the Non-Traditional Occupations Task Force of the Division... more Title: Half of Our Future. A Report by the Non-Traditional Occupations Task Force of the Division of Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of Education, State of Connecticut. ... Half of Our Future. A Report by the Non-Traditional Occupations Task ...
Virtual communities of practice (COPs) are fast becoming a basic work unit in a networked world. ... more Virtual communities of practice (COPs) are fast becoming a basic work unit in a networked world. The relationship between COPs, Knowledge Management, and the Learning Organisation is a question of priority for social sector leaders, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners as they seek to establish ways to maintain relevance and effectiveness in the volatile environments in which they work (Thomas et al, 2005). When well executed, virtual COPs produce results because the knowledge is stewarded: organised for learning, poised for action, and planned for sustainability. In this paper, we document and analyse the actors and factors that, in our experience, contribute to success: Enlightened Leadership, Compelling Work, Appropriate Technology and Knowledge Sustainability. Over the last two years we have worked with new virtual COPs in both the public and non-profit sectors. The outsized successes prove the power of this approach to work. The under-performers help define the paramet...
The human services field is fueled by knowledge. Insights into how human service programs work an... more The human services field is fueled by knowledge. Insights into how human service programs work and why practices succeed or fail rests in the experience of exceptional practitioners. Systematically organizing agency staff to leverage knowledge remains a challenge, though. How can an agency make the best use of the knowledge that its employees possess? The Challenge December 2003 Policy & Practice 23 The Solution Online collaboration, specifically Communities of Practice, is one solu-tion. By taking full advantage of the "socialness" of the Internet and its propensity to build communities, public human service administrators can change the nature of human service work. But what are Communities of Practice? They are groups of people who come together around common interests and expertise. In a human service agency, they can consist of case managers, program providers, policy staff, experts, advocates, researchers, clients, trainers, and partner agencies. Through the use of t...
The Jam on the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) took place on September 16, 2009. It was spon... more The Jam on the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) took place on September 16, 2009. It was sponsored by Knowledge in the Public Interest (KPI), convened by the Brookings Institution, the Education Commission of the States, and Jobs for the Future, with LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC/CUNY) as the lead college. The Jam on the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) sought to help a wide range of participants understand the benefits and consequences of what President Obama’s administration is proposing, and to organize a community on behalf of every community college in the U.S. The conversation ultimately revealed what participants believe the Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, state leaders and national associations must know to ensure that the potential of the AGI is realized.
One goal of this paper is to present an integrated tripartite model of violence, with a focus on ... more One goal of this paper is to present an integrated tripartite model of violence, with a focus on structural violence within an oppression paradigm. Using qualitative and quantitative data from 27 women (70% African American and 30% European American) who participated in a national substance abuse treatment demonstration program, we describe a model of violence in which structural violence is presented within a transactional relationship with interpersonal, and intrapersonal violence. We suggest that the effects of structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal violence are magnified when race and poverty are considered. The second goal of the paper is to present a preliminary test of the new model of violence. Results indicated that different levels and types of violence are interrelated. Implications of these findings for empowering solutions are suggested.
To evaluate the effectiveness of a multiservice intervention designed to move substance-abusing w... more To evaluate the effectiveness of a multiservice intervention designed to move substance-abusing women on welfare to sobriety and self-sufficiency by addressing their substance abuse, domestic violence, employment, and basic needs. A field evaluation with repeated measures at 6 and 12 months on an intent-to-treat sample of 529 women conducted in 11 selected sites across the country. There were significant improvements shown in substance use and family and social functioning by the 6-month point, and additional improvements in employment by the 12-month point. By 12 months, more than 46% were abstinent from alcohol and other drugs, and 30% were employed at least part-time. There were only modest improvements shown in the medical and psychiatric status of these women. These preliminary findings suggest that site-level interagency coordination and program-level case management were associated with improvements in the targeted areas as predicted by the model. Future work will require a more closely specified, manual-guided form of the intervention plus the inclusion of control groups and cost measures to fully evaluate the cost benefits from the final form of the intervention.
This article provides a brief overview of CASAWORKS for Families (CWF), an innovative interventio... more This article provides a brief overview of CASAWORKS for Families (CWF), an innovative intervention designed to help substance-abusing parenting women on welfare. CWF was developed in response to the passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996. Factors that provided a background and context for the development of CWF are considered. The rationale, key elements, and the conduct of a pilot demonstration of CWF are described. Evaluation findings that serve to guide the next steps to improve the intervention are reviewed. Finally, new welfare policy priorities emerging around the importance of addressing behavioral health problems among welfare recipients are highlighted.
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Papers by Diana Woolis