Current and Recent Work
Community Matters is fortunate to work with clients who are consistently striving for greater impact. Our current collaborations include:
Recently, we have partnered with a diversity of clients to:
- Andrew Bundy's coordination of the Next Generation Accountability Learning Community, and Lainy Fersh's and Andrew's co-facilitation of its convenings. NGALC is a project of MassINC, funded by the Barr Foundation, to support New England state and district public education leaders to advance the success of small and midsize urban students and school districts, by leveraging the new accountability framework under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). (May 2016 - present)
- Lainy Fersh's service on the faculty of Service Employee International Union’s BOLD Center (Building Organizational Leadership and Development), helping staff and union members create and lead more effective organizations to implement their work (2005-present)
- Andrew and Lainy's work on the educator-led District Capacity Project (DCP), a project of the Massachusetts Education Partnership and the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, facilitating labor-management teams of public school leaders in Boston, Fall River, and Revere, Massachusetts (2012-present)
Recently, we have partnered with a diversity of clients to:
- Support the work of NOW: Network of Opportunities for Child Wellbeing, a project of the Vital Village Network, a leader of new approaches to systemic challenges. CM co-designed and facilitated a national convening of community residents, pediatricians, researchers, breast care and maternal health advocates, early childhood educators, children's advocates and funders to advance comprehensive, networked approaches to overcome childhood adversity and ensure that children enter Kindergarten at a healthy weight. (Winter/Spring, 2016)
- Conduct an impact evaluation of the work of the Liberty Mutual Foundation, New England's largest corporate philanthropy. CM surveyed over 500 grantees in two states, conducted in-depth interviews with leaders of key grantee organizations, assessed the efficacy of grantmaking procedures and tools, and offered the Foundation an assessment of its impact, both as a grantmaker and as a community leader. (Winter, 2016)
- Facilitate the strategic planning of a team of parents, community partners, teachers, principals, union leaders and central office leaders, including the Superintendent and the union President, as they developed a new systemwide approach to family and community engagement and leadership in the Plainville MA Public Schools. Working as a consultant to Teachers21, CM co-designed a series of three meetings, facilitated and presented at each, and helped prepare documents and findings. (Winter, 2016)
- Partner with the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy on strategy and action for the Massachusetts Education Partnership, fostering K12 labor-management collaboration to advance student learning. In 2012, CM co-designed the MEP and District Capacity Project (DCP) with Rennie Center and the MEP partners, co-wrote the original grant that secured funding from the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and served as a strategic partner for the first four years of the work (2012-2016). Andrew served as Co-Director and then Director of the DCP from 2012-2015.
- Design and lead a workshop for 250 educators and leaders on Teaming for Results at the Capacity Building Workshop of the National Council for Community Education and Partnerships / GEAR UP. Training packet and tools are available here. (Winter, 2016)
- Conduct an evaluation of the impact of the Ruderman Family Foundation's effort to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities in the U.S. Jewish community. Community Matters conducted more than 40 interviews and surveyed over 600 people in this accelerated four-month project. (Fall, 2015)
- Co-facilitate, with John D'Auria and David Castelline of Teachers21, the Local Stakeholders Group of the Holyoke Public Schools; co-design and draft the formal recommendations document for the Receiver, Dr. Steven Zrike (Spring, 2015)
- Staff the work of Mayor Martin J. Walsh's Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Advisory Committee; help this team of educators, civic leaders, researchers, advocates and funders to synthesize data and articulate findings; facilitate the development of a set of formal recommendations for bringing UPK to Boston's 4-year-olds; write the Advisory Committee's final report to Mayor Walsh (Fall, 2014).
- Plan and facilitate Gateway City working groups and regional meetings for MassINC, sparking a campaign to fund dynamic citywide learning systems (2013-14)
- Write a series of workforce development reports for Commonwealth Corporation on closing the skills gap, supporting older workers, and planning regionally (2008-13)
- Design and launch four NEA Foundation online course offerings for K12 leaders of labor-management strategies for improvement (2012)
- Facilitate 2010 Educator Evaluation Task Force for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, helping 40 diverse leaders forge substantial consensus, developing one of the stronger educator evaluation models in the US
- Organize the Youth Policy Initiative, a network of Massachusetts networks of youth-serving organizations, increasing impact of their policy action (2007-2011)
- Assist schools/community partners in multiple urban school districts to advance 3rd grade reading proficiency, experiential education, extended learning time, full-service schooling (2001-14)
- Co-author Too Big to be Seen: The Invisible Dropout Crisis in Boston and America, with the leaders of the Boston Youth Transitions Task Force (2006)
- Assist the Barr Foundation to plan, monitor, and assess the impact of its grantmaking in support of Boston public school reform (2003-2008)
- Help Boston Public Schools central office leadership to analyze and re-invent their approach to resource development and institutional advancement (2006-2007, 2013)
- Co-design and co-author Investing in Student Success: Financing School-Connected Initiatives in Boston, in collaboration with The Finance Project (2007)
- Help to research, launch, and guide the Harvard After School Initiative, a successful five-year, $5 million commitment to Boston neighborhoods (2002-2006)