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Making Learning Count: How Colleges Can Turn Workforce Training into Academic Progress

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:23:09 GMT

Transforming Skills into Credentials for Career Success

Colleges across the country are rethinking how learning is recognized, and for good reasons. Today’s students, especially working adults, are gaining valuable skills through noncredit workforce training, but too often those experiences don’t translate into academic progress. The Internal Articulation Guide for Massachusetts community colleges offers a clear, practical roadmap to change that. Notably, Scale Strategic Solutions partnered with a working group of representatives from the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges and Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in the development and design of this guide, helping to translate complex systems into an actionable, student-centered strategy for economic mobility. At its core, this approach is about connecting the dots, ensuring that what students already know and can do counts toward a credential that advances their career and educational goals.

The work starts with intention. Institutions must first define why articulation matters and how it aligns with their mission. This isn’t just an academic exercise. It’s a strategic decision that impacts student success, workforce development, and institutional sustainability. Engaging leadership early, identifying priority program areas, and building a cross-functional team creates a foundation for success. When faculty, advisors, workforce staff, and even employer partners are at the table, the process becomes more collaborative and grounded in real-world needs.

From there, the focus shifts to curriculum alignment. Faculty play a critical role in mapping noncredit learning outcomes to credit-bearing coursework. This step requires thoughtful comparison of competencies, assessments, and industry-recognized credentials to ensure academic rigor while also honoring prior learning. Reviews by instructors of noncredit and credit-bearing programs create opportunities to strengthen programs, refine curriculum, and better align with evolving workforce demands—something Scale Strategic Solutions prioritized throughout its collaboration, ensuring that pathways reflect both academic standards and employer expectations.

Of course, none of this work matters if it isn’t formalized and accessible to students. Clear policies, governance approval, and updated systems ensure that articulation pathways are not just ideas, but institutionalized practices. Just as important is the student experience. Simplifying processes, providing clear points of contact, and actively promoting these opportunities can make the difference between a student dropping out or moving forward. When done well, articulation becomes a powerful tool to open doors for underserved populations and to support economic mobility.

The long-term impact is where this work truly shines. For students, it means faster, more affordable pathways to degrees, recognition of real-world learning, and greater motivation to persist. For institutions, it creates stronger enrollment pipelines, deeper employer partnerships, and a more agile response to shifting demands in higher education. However, this isn’t a one-and-done effort. The most successful colleges continuously track outcomes, gather feedback, and expand what works. In doing so, they position themselves not just as educators, but also as leaders in innovation, building scalable pathways that meet students where they are and help them get where they want to go.

Why Trauma-Informed Approaches Matter for Youth

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 15:22:52 GMT

New online, on-demand training available for CEUs

Trauma is far more common in the lives of young people than many adults realize. Its impact can shape behavior, learning, relationships, and long-term well-being. Research shows that a significant percentage of children and adolescents experience at least one traumatic event, and for some, those experiences lead to post-traumatic stress. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as exposure to violence, abuse, neglect, household instability, substance use, or mental health challenges, can undermine a young person’s sense of safety and connection. Trauma-informed approaches acknowledge this reality and shift the question from “What’s wrong with this youth?” to “What is this youth experiencing?”

Scale Strategic Solutions is playing a role in the shift to better support youth with our online, on-demand Trama-Informed Approaches with Youth training. The course was recently approved for 1 CEU for all licenses governed under the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board.

Understanding the 4 Rs of Trauma-Informed Care

At the core of trauma-informed care are the 4 Rs. The first, Realize , emphasizes understanding how widespread trauma is and how deeply it can affect development, behavior, and emotional regulation. For professionals working with youth, realization creates awareness that trauma may be present even when it is not disclosed. Recognize builds on this awareness by identifying the signs and symptoms of trauma in young people, families, and systems. This includes changes in mood, behavior, engagement, or coping strategies that may otherwise be misinterpreted as defiance or disengagement.

From Awareness to Action: Responding with Care

The third R, Respond , focuses on putting this understanding into action. Trauma-informed responses integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, practices, and daily interactions with youth. This includes creating predictable environments, offering choice and voice, building trust, and prioritizing emotional and physical safety. Responding effectively also requires grounding our work in the six core principles of a trauma-informed approach that address safety, trust, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and societal context. These principles serve as the backbone of healing-centered work with youth, guiding how we engage in everyday interactions.

Creating Systems That Promote Healing

Finally, Resist Re-traumatization challenges organizations and practitioners to examine how systems, policies, and interactions may unintentionally cause harm. This principle calls on professionals to intentionally design environments, practices, and communication that promotes dignity, choice, and respect. This is especially critical when working with youth who have experienced ACEs or ongoing stressors such as housing instability or food insecurity. Scale Strategic Solutions’ Trauma-Informed Approaches with Youth training equips participants to apply the 4 Rs and trauma-informed principles in real-world youth-serving settings. Designed for social service providers, educators, youth workers, and professionals working with youth , this on-demand course strengthens participants’ understanding of trauma while offering practical strategies to foster resilience, empowerment, and healing. The course was recently approved for 1 CEU for all licenses governed under the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board.

Ready to strengthen your trauma-informed practices with youth? Enroll in our on-demand training today and gain practical tools you can apply immediately to foster safety, resilience, and healing.

A Few of Our Favorite Things

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 18:02:19 GMT

A Few of Our Favorite Things

The end of the year invites us to pause, reflect, and appreciate the tools, resources, and rituals that help us do impactful work. At Scale Strategic Solutions, we spend our days turning information into action, supporting businesses as they clarify their vision, understand their impact, and strengthen their systems. Whether we’re facilitating focus groups, analyzing data, or managing projects across hybrid work environments, we rely on a mix of practical tools and soul-nourishing routines to stay grounded and effective.

In the spirit of the season, we’re sharing A Few of Our Favorite Things , a curated collection of books, podcasts, office essentials, and self-care items that keep our team inspired, organized, and thriving. Use this list to refresh your workspace, spark new ideas, or simply bring a little joy into your professional routine. Click the links and allow them to become your favorite things as well.

A Few of Our Favorite Things

Books

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear

A go-to for creating sustainable habits that support leadership and productivity.

2. Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly by Mori Taheripour

A different way to think about negotiating for what you want.

3. Navigating Courage by Robin Martin

Tap into a source of inspiration by seeing Robin’s journey. She has a new book out Navigating Love.

Podcasts

4. Diversity Conversations with Eric Ellis and Tommie Lewis Podcast

Episodes discuss leadership and organizational culture through honest and transformative dialogue about today’s most important challenges.

5. The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett

Sit with a different expert, leader, or entrepreneur for thoughtful conversations and lessons.

Digital Tools

6. Easy Use Project Management Systems

Whether it is SmartSheet or Click Up, managing tasks across projects and people is easier when technology can help.

7. Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT)

Having a private space in a GPT platform like ChatGPT or Co-Pilot, is a game changer to refine writing, speed up research, and exploring ideas.

8. Virtual Visualization Tools

Virtual tools to visualize information such as Miro or to better design and illustrate such as Canva are perfect for brainstorming or mapping logic models.

Creature Comforts

9. Noise-Cancelling Headphones

A must-have for hybrid work, especially when analyzing data or writing reports.

10. Standing Desk Converter

Helps maintain energy and focus during long evaluation or strategy sessions.

11. Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Helpful for long hours of report writing or dashboard development.

12. Healing Journal or Guided Reflection Notebook

Supports self-awareness and emotional grounding to balance professionally and personally.

The work we do at Scale Strategic Solutions is fueled by curiosity, intentionality, and a commitment to understanding people and systems deeply. These (12) favorite things help us stay organized, sharp, and strong so we can continue transforming information into action for the organizations we serve.

As you close out the year, consider adding one or two of these tools to your routine. Small shifts create meaningful change, and investing in your well-being and workflow is the foundation of doing impactful work. Cheers to a productive, healthy, and inspiring holiday season!

Why Focus Groups Matter: Turning Community Voice Into Action

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 03:57:43 GMT

Why Focus Groups Matter: Turning Community Voices Into Action

Organizations today are operating in environments that are increasingly diverse, fast-moving, and complex. Data can point to what is happening, but it doesn’t always explain the why behind the patterns or outcomes. This is where focus groups become powerful. Through direct dialogue with the people who experience a challenge, program, service, or system firsthand, organizations gain the context, nuance, and real-world understanding that surface-level metrics cant provide. Focus groups allow organizations to pause, listen, gather, and learn directly from the voices that matter most.

Focus groups remain one of the most effective tools for understanding people not just as data points, but as thinkers and problem-solvers with real experiences to share. Their power lies in the richness of qualitative insight generated through shared discussion, observation, and interaction. Unlike surveys or one-on-one interviews, focus groups allow researchers and decision-makers to explore attitudes, beliefs, motivations, and behaviors in a dynamic setting where participants react to one another, refine their thinking, and surface new ideas in real time.

Engagement and facilitation are central to how we help organizations move from idea to informed action at Scale Strategic Solutions. We capture the voices of clients, customers, employees, community members, board leaders, funders, and other key partners to uncover both opportunities and challenges within a system. These guided conversations do more than collect opinions. They open shared spaces for reflection, co-learning, and constructive discovery. When done well, focus groups help organizations move from assumptions to clarity and from internal planning to community-aligned decision-making.

This approach came to life in our parent engagement study with the West Ohio Regional Prevention Council of the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund. Over five years, Scale Strategic Solutions led three iterations of parent focus groups and interviews to understand what parents appreciated about parent education and support programs and opportunities for improvement of the programs. This helped the Council determine the value of programs and what efforts to continue to strengthen families and prevent child neglect and abuse. We also created a summary video of the focus group results to share with the parent participants to see the results of their engagement.

More recently, our ongoing work with BBC Research & Consulting and the Ohio Department of Transportation demonstrated the transformational impact of listening to the lived realities of small-business owners in transportation consulting and construction. Through five focus groups, entrepreneurs shared both the bottlenecks and the bright spots of operating within the Small Business Enterprise program. Their insights are informing future improvements that support stronger pathways to access and economic growth.

Whether supporting parents or shaping statewide business policy, meaningful engagement shows that focus groups are not just a research tool, they are a gathering space for learning, connection, and community-driven progress.

For organizations striving to make informed, community-aligned decisions, this type of learning is invaluable. Scale Strategic Solutions continues to partner with businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and community institutions to design and facilitate focus groups that move beyond “collecting feedback” and instead activate deeper understanding. If your organization is ready to gather meaningful insights and turn them into an actionable strategy, we are ready to help you listen, learn, and move forward with confidence.

Leading Without a Title: What Businesses and Nonprofits Can Learn from Informal Teacher Leadership

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 17:39:02 GMT

Leading Without a Title:

What Businesses and Nonprofits Can Learn from Informal Teacher Leadership

At Scale Strategic Solutions, we believe leadership isn’t confined to job titles. It’s about influence, impact, and initiative. As organizations navigate times of transition, many are shifting their focus from aggressive growth to sustainable engagement, maintaining strong customer, donor, and vendor relationships, supporting staff morale, and ensuring the right people are in leadership roles. This kind of stability isn’t a sign of stagnation; it’s a sign of wisdom. It means understanding that growth isn’t always about scaling up. Sometimes it’s about supporting what works. In this space, informal leadership becomes a vital tool for stability and innovation.

Organizations can take a page from the Informal Teacher Leadership Framework . Just as teachers lead informally by sharing resources, mentoring peers, or co-developing lessons, employees can do the same by forwarding new tools, hosting quick skill-shares, or modeling effective communication and teamwork. These frameworks not only foster collaboration across departments but also spark innovation when resources are limited.

When hiring isn’t an option, creativity becomes the strategy, redistributing responsibilities based on strengths, forming cross-functional teams, or offering professional development as a reward for leadership in action. By encouraging this kind of informal collaboration and recognition, organizations can stretch their capacity, strengthen engagement, and build a culture that thrives on connection, shared learning, and resilience.

Of course, fostering this kind of informal leadership doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intentional support from formal leaders, those who recognize and nurture leadership potential wherever it appears. That could mean giving staff space to innovate, creating mentorship opportunities, cycling tasks among staff as stretch opportunities, or simply recognizing the quiet contributors who carry the culture forward. When organizations invest in these people, they prevent burnout, strengthen retention, and keep purpose alive even during slower seasons.

So, whether you’re leading a nonprofit, a healthcare team, or a corporate department, take a page from the classroom: leadership is a collective effort. When we empower people to lead from where they are, not just from where they’re positioned, we build stronger, more sustainable organizations. Growth may not always mean getting bigger, but it should always mean getting better.

At Scale Strategic Solutions , we help organizations tap into this kind of hidden leadership potential. Through our leadership development and learning solutions, we partner with teams to strengthen culture, nurture collaboration, and reduce burnout, ensuring leaders at every level are equipped to make a lasting impact. Because true leadership isn’t about authority; it’s about influence, empathy, and growth for both people and the organizations they serve.

Driving Career Readiness

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:50:19 GMT

Pathways and the Columbus New Skills Ready Network

As Ohio reimagines the bridge between education and employment, Scale Strategic Solutions is honored to serve as a force behind the transformative work of the Columbus New Skills Ready Network (CNSRN). This ambitious initiative is redefining how education systems, workforce leaders, and local businesses collaborate to prepare students for thriving careers in high-demand sectors.

Aligning Systems to Empower Students

Funded by JPMorgan Chase through the national New Skills Ready Network and supported locally by Ohio Excels, the CNSRN brings together a powerful coalition of partners: Columbus City Schools, Columbus State Community College, The Ohio State University, One Columbus, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and the Ohio Department of Higher Education. These institutions are jointly committed to building rigorous, career-aligned education pathways that serve all students — especially those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Scale Strategic Solutions is proud to project manage this collaboration. Our role included:

Coordinating national and local technical assistance to ensure stakeholders benefit from the best practices and insights available across the country.
Facilitating strategic leadership meetings that align vision, commitments, and timelines across diverse organizations.
Managing work groups and project plans that move ideas into implementation, ensuring timely execution and accountability.
Driving engagement with industry partners to develop meaningful work-based learning opportunities for students.

This backbone support ensures all collaborators move forward with a shared agenda, actionable plans, and measurable impact.

JPMorgan Chase recently released a brief highlighting the practices of the New Skills Ready Network including what worked successfully in Columbus. Read more in the What Works Brief .

Advancing Data Sharing in Public Health

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 17:08:33 GMT

In today’s data-driven world, local health departments (LHDs) play a critical role in shaping community health and advancing equity. Yet, to do this effectively, they need more than just national trends, they need access to localized, granular data that reflects the real conditions on the ground.

Data sharing is not only a technical challenge but a strategic community-focused practice. When LHDs collaborate with community organizations such as schools, hospitals, social service agencies and law enforcement, they unlock new pathways to address public health challenges more effectively. Local data allows communities to identify emerging health threats, evaluate the impact of programs, and understand how the Social Determinants of Health influence well-being.

Scale Strategic Solutions, in partnership with D.E.E.P. Consultants and Strategik513, is proud to announce the development of a robust, strategic roadmap designed to support public health professionals in leveraging data to improve population health outcomes and reduce disparities.

Our team of subject matter experts collaborated closely with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and local health departments to gain firsthand insights into the challenges and opportunities surrounding data sharing practices. This discovery process informed the creation of two key resources aimed at building data capacity in the field.

The "Increasing Data Sharing Capacity for Local Health Departments" asynchronous training, alongside the complementary Data Sharing Resource Guide , are now available on NACCHO University , the organization’s online learning platform.

At Scale, we are committed to advancing the culture of data sharing within public health ecosystems. These resources were developed to meet practitioners where they are, offering flexible, high-impact tools to drive meaningful improvements in health equity and data-driven decision-making.

If your organization is interested in learning more or would benefit from a customized training solution tailored to your specific data sharing needs, we invite you to contact us . Together, we can empower local health leaders with the tools and knowledge needed to transform data into action.

Pathways for Economic Mobility

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 20:52:00 GMT

Pathways for Economic Mobility

Scale Strategic Solutions has been at the forefront of efforts to reengage “some-college, no-degree” learners and boost postsecondary completion so all learners can see economic progress. Scale applies proven methods for procedures and workflows for cross-institutional regional collaboration, internal data mining, and student re-engagement to increase credential attainment. We draw on more than a decade of experience, including technical assistance we provided for Ohio’s Credit When It’s Due and the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)’s Degrees When Due initiative, implemented across nearly 200 institutions in 23 states. These evidence-based practices have produced meaningful gains in degree completion rates and economic mobility. Our team walks alongside state agencies and postsecondary education institutions with training, coaching, project management, and facilitation to customize implementation to your context.

As detailed in IHEP’s Lighting the Path report and reinforced by Scale’s own Promoting High-Value Education Beyond High School in Ohio landscape analysis, success in today’s education landscape requires agile, data-driven operations that connect students to credentials of value and in-demand careers. With a clear focus on success for all, workforce alignment, and long-term economic impact, Scale helps partners translate policy momentum into measurable results for students and institutions alike.

Why It Matters Now

Federal and state policies, such as Workforce Pell, are increasing focus on workforce development.
Higher education institutions are navigating federal and state mandates that are complicating how they serve and communicate opportunities to student populations who have faced the greatest challenges in persisting and completing credentials.
Industry changes rapidly, and workers need to remain agile in applying and building their skills.
Scale is positioned to help systems and institutions move from complexity to clear impact—validating credentials of value, updating data processes, supporting adult reengagement, and bridging policy and practice.

Your Path Forward with Scale

Embed IHEP-aligned frameworks in institutional practice
Implement adult-friendly policies recommended in Lighting the Path
Establish program and credential review processes to take advantage of Workforce Pell policy
Enhance program completion through credit for prior learning and earned industry credentials
Bridge policy and performance, harnessing public policy and showing impact

Ready To Light the Path Forward?

Scale is actively supporting institutions and systems seeking to operationalize these outcome-driven strategies under the current landscape. Let’s connect—reach out to learn how we can help you accelerate completion and improve education outcomes in your community now.

Looking for NIH Implicit Bias Training

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 19:54:13 GMT

Looking for Replacement for NIH Implicit Bias Training?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Implicit Bias Training web page is no longer active. We understand this resource was widely used by professionals seeking to meet training requirements or expand their understanding of bias in public service and healthcare.

As an alternative, Scale Strategic Solutions offers a comprehensive Implicit Bias Training program that meets high standards for professional development. This training has been successfully delivered to over 1,000 healthcare and public service professionals and includes practical strategies to recognize and reduce the impact of bias in decision-making and service delivery. We can work with you to deliver training online, on-demand or live virtually and in-person. Scale will also coordinate with your organization to obtain approvals for continuing education units for professionals.

Key benefits of the Scale Strategic Solutions training include:

Grounding in implicit bias awareness and cultural intelligence (CQ®)
Practical tools for managing perceptions and improving interactions
Proven outcomes, including demonstrated improvements in CQ® knowledge and behavior
Tailored sessions available for government, health, and education sectors

If you or your agency are in need of this type of training, we encourage you to reach out directly to Scale Strategic Solutions for more information or to schedule a session.

Contact Scale Strategic Solutions today to learn more Cognitive Bias Training for your organization.

Click below for examples of our Implicit Bias Training.

Scale Strategic Solutions Delivers Cognitive Bias Training for Ohio Department of Health

Fri, 16 May 2025 19:27:00 GMT

Cognitive Bias Training for Ohio Department of Health See Positive Results

Scale Strategic Solutions, in collaboration with The Eastledge Group, designed and delivered a comprehensive Implicit Bias Training program for over 1,000 maternal health professionals across the state of Ohio.

This initiative aimed to build awareness around implicit bias and enhance Cultural Intelligence (CQ®) to improve maternal health services and outcomes. Cultural intelligence is a critical skill for healthcare providers because it enhances their ability to understand, respect and effectively interact with patients from various backgrounds. The CQ® Framework is grounded in academic research and psychology.

Participants completed pre- and post-training CQ® assessments with results showing significant improvement—particularly in the domains of:

CQ Knowledge : Understanding how culture influences patients’ health beliefs, behaviors, and expectations—such as how they view illness, treatment, communication, and decision-making.

CQ Action : The ability to adapt how you communicate and interact to respectfully meet the cultural needs of all patients and colleagues:

Both domains increased by over 15 percentage points within 60–90 days of training , which represented a statistically significant improvement. These outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of the training.

Our team will design training in your organization to support the following learning objectives in a respectful and inclusive manner:

Understand Unconscious Bias

Develop an awareness of how our brain uses mental shortcuts that can influence our decision-making in ways we often fail to notice immediately.

Distinguish between Conscious and Unconscious Associations

Consider different scenarios when we make automatic assumptions versus relying on intentional beliefs.

Recognize Behaviors that May Impact the Patient, Student or Client Experience

Learn to detect communication or behavioral patterns that may unintentionally impact care and service experiences and outcomes.

Apply Effective Practices

Practice techniques that are supportive, respectful, and centered on the patient, client, or student to maximize positive outcomes.

A key element of the program was equipping participants with effective communication strategies. Participants learned that:

Behavioral skills can be deployed to enhance interactions with clients and peer s in a multicultural environment. Use simple phrases like “Tell me more” to develop your knowledge of what is important to your patient or peer and build psychological safety and trust.
Clarity and emotional relevance are critical, especially in a fast-paced, soundbite-driven communication environment.
Authenticity matters —messages must align with real actions to build trust and credibility.
Audience-centric messaging is essential. Professionals were trained to shift from internal language to messaging that answers, “So what?” for those not yet engaged.

This initiative represents a strategic and measurable step toward improving results for all communities in healthcare through cognitive awareness, skill development, and behavior change.

Contact Scale Strategic Solutions today to learn more about Cognitive Bias Training and the Cultural Intelligence Framework for your organization.

Addressing Health Disparities in Butler County

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 21:20:30 GMT

Addressing Health Disparities in Butler County

TriHealth and bi3 engaged Scale Strategic Solutions, and its collaborators, Strategik513 and DEEP Consultants, to conduct a needs assessment for Butler County, Ohio. The goals of the study were to create a detailed assessment of the county’s health needs, recommend strategies for improvement, identify groups for future engagement, and develop an equity focused plan.

The health and well-being of our community are deeply influenced by economic conditions and social factors. Our findings highlight key challenges impacting health equity in Butler County:

Social Vulnerability: The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) identifies areas needing additional resources, with Middletown, Hamilton, Fairfield, and Oxford having the highest scores.
Transportation Barriers: Limited public transit options make accessing healthcare and essential services difficult, particularly for those relying on Medicaid/Medicare transportation benefits.
Housing Insecurity: A shortage of affordable housing and opposition to housing for mental health and low-income residents create significant health challenges.
Healthcare Access: While several hospitals and clinics serve Butler County, shortages in specialists and mental health providers result in long wait times and travel burdens for care.
Rising Healthcare Costs: Many residents face high out-of-pocket expenses, leading to delayed or skipped care.

Based on the quantitative and qualitative data, we came up with ten recommendations for action to meet the needs of Butler County and advance its health equity and outcomes:

Expand primary and specialty care access through new sites, mobile clinics, and community partnerships.
Strengthen maternal and child health programs.
Utilize community health workers (CHWs) to connect residents to vital resources.
Enhance mental and behavioral health services, especially for youth.
Improve collaboration between healthcare providers, local agencies, and community partners.
Provide financial support for healthcare access, including transportation grants and health vouchers.
Promote preventive care and chronic disease management
Increase awareness of language and cultural services.
Train healthcare staff to provide respectful, unbiased care.
Address social determinants of health by linking residents to essential resources.

Bi3 then designed a grant program to identify and support community partners to address these challenges.

Connect with Scale today to learn more about how you can leverage our capabilities to conduct community health needs assessments and strengthen healthcare access and improve outcomes for your community.

Scale Strategic Solutions Delivers High Value Training on Health Equity to Vermont Department of Health

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 21:50:35 GMT

Delivering High Value Training on Health Equity to Vermont Department of Health

The Vermont Department of Health contracted with Scale Strategic Solutions and its subcontractors to deliver training sessions to 224 professionals in the substance use disorder and mental health workforce.

The trainings were designed to provide an introduction to health equity, to enhance the understanding of cultural intelligence in mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and to elevate community voice by identifying strategies to close gaps in the communities the participants serve. In just 8 weeks, Scale offered our standard health equity training module with a customized section on mental and behavioral health equity for Vermont.

Scale Strategic Solutions in collaboration with The Eastledge Group and Strategik513 successfully delivered an impactful training program supporting Vermont’s professional development. Roy Belcher, Director of Planning and Community Services for the Division of Substance Use Programs of the Vermont Department of Health said, “ Our partnership with Scale was an excellent experience, throughout which we saw the organization and their partners exceed all our expectations. Their attention to detail and exceptional knowledge was matched by their deep passion for their work and dedication to achieving meaningful outcomes.”

Case Study: Vermont Department of Health and Scale Strategic Solutions

Training Program Overview
The training series covered key aspects of health equity, cultural intelligence, and community engagement and was delivered from January to June 2024. The courses offered included:

Introduction to Health Equity (Online, asynchronous module) -- 133 participants completed

Provided a foundational understanding of health equity in Vermont’s substance use disorder and mental health service provision.

The Importance of Cultural Intelligence in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment -- 124 participants attended

Enhanced participants' ability to work effectively across cultural settings, addressing health disparities.
Designed and facilitated by Robin Shabazz of The Eastledge Group.

Engaging and Elevating Community Voice -- 24 participants attended

Focused on the role of community collaboration in addressing health disparities.
Facilitated by Shawnda DeRamus of Strategik513.

Additional team members contributed to the program:

Shawnda DeRamus and Calista Smith customized the Health Equity module.
Karen Dubose managed training production, registration, and logistics.
Autumn Smith coordinated the project and assisted with content development.
Hector Medina conducted discovery analysis.

Implementation Process

Discovery and Curriculum Development

Interviews and research on health disparities in Vermont informed curriculum design.
Learning objectives and training materials were tailored based on insights gathered.

Training Delivery

The Introduction to Health Equity course was available asynchronously and provided 1 CEU for multiple licensed professionals.
The Importance of Cultural Intelligence training was delivered virtually and in-person and was approved for 4.75 CEUs for various professionals.
Engaging and Elevating Community Voice training was delivered in-person and virtually, earning 4 CEUs for Licensed Clinical Social Workers.

Training Schedule

Multiple sessions were conducted via Zoom and in-person across various dates from January to June 2024

Results & Impact

Outcomes
Increased awareness and understanding of social determinants of health and fundamentals of health equity among Vermont professionals.
Enhanced ability for culturally intelligent interactions in mental health and substance use treatment.
Strengthened community engagement strategies.

Epiphanies

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 21:48:47 GMT

Insights for Evaluation and Organizational Development

Enjoy this repost from a 2019 blog.

Our journey as a firm providing evaluation and organizational development services at times may sound like the trek of the three wise men in the Christmas story. Here’s how:

Epiphany: Christian traditions celebrate the story of the wise men as the Epiphany, a revelation about Jesus, the faith’s awaited Messiah. In evaluation, Scale Strategic Solutions is often searching for realizations and discoveries in our studies. While the insights may seem to emerge suddenly, epiphanies in evaluation are a product of a complex journey of data collection and analysis. In training for clients, there is a process of organizational strategy, planning, and training that often culminates in development sessions where participants have small epiphanies about new skills they can apply or different approaches to improve their work.

Star of Wonder: In the story of the wise men, they see an extraordinarily bright star in the sky that they follow to find evidence of the Christmas birth. Evaluators also follow curious evidence, seeking answers to our evaluation questions. Scale Strategic Solutions will seek more evidence to explain the phenomenon of the ‘star’ that stands out from all the other stars in the data. In organizational development, we also address glaring needs or bright opportunities by developing strategy and training appropriately.

Bearing Gifts: When the wise men arrived to find Jesus, they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In evaluation, particularly formative or development evaluations, we want to provide valuable ‘gifts’ to the clients and programs when we reach the final stage of producing findings. Scale Strategic Solutions wants to provide information clients can use as our gifts, such as summaries for the field, recommendations, and evidence-based next steps. Similarly, in training services, we are providing knowledge, tools, and skills to help organizations and trainees carry out what they learned.

Scale Strategic Solutions wishes you a wonderful and wise journey through the new year. Happy Holidays!

Cultural Intelligence in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 16:13:02 GMT

Cultural Intelligence in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment

By Robin Shabazz, Esq., Principal, The Eastledge Group

The future of the healthcare sector is becoming more consumer-centric. Why? Because the rising out-of-pocket costs of healthcare are turning patients into savvy consumers that demand better quality interactions, care and value from providers. This means providers and healthcare systems must adjust their approach to patient experience and patient engagement decisions by placing the diverse needs of its patients at the forefront. So how does a dynamic and multicultural industry like healthcare ensure it exhibits a patient-first mindset with every engagement? Well, it starts with building its cultural intelligence or CQ®.

Cultural intelligence is the capability to work and interact effectively across cultures. It is the underlying skill a provider must possess in order to exhibit cultural humility, sensitivity, competence and unbiased decision-making. Many healthcare providers treat all patients the same or how they believe a patient would want to receive care (remember the “Golden Rule?”). Yet, as patient populations becomes more and more diverse, this concept is no longer applicable. Believing all cultural groups have the same needs and expectations will lead to providers missing the opportunity to offer personalized and more effective patient care. And there are many specific benefits of delivering culturally intelligent patient care; such as having the ability to adjust to diverse patient populations needs with empathy, being comfortable leaning into emotional comfort with all patient groups, improved cross-cultural communication, higher medical plan adherence, and more personalized care. This opens the door to an increase in patient empowerment that ultimately leads to improved health outcomes. This is the CQ® difference - Better Patient Care with Cultural Intelligence .

Having CQ® is all the more important when treating patients who have a mental health or substance use disorder (SUD). That’s because patients with these health conditions have historically been stigmatized and confronted with negative biases that have been shown to impact their well-being and quality of care . When patients from historically oppressed cultural groups (e.g., LBGTQIA, Black, Native American, Hispanic, Asian-American, etc.) suffer with a behavioral health problem, they may experience what is called the “bias within a bias.” An example of how this phenomenon occurs happens when providers demonstrate implicit bias when treating minoritized patients, who have already experienced systematic exclusion from access to treatment for their mental health or substance use disorder. And this is further exacerbated when these two disorders are co-occurring, which is the case for more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States.

So, what is “implicit bias?” There are many sources that define this term, however I like this definition by the American Psychological Association, which reads: “Implicit bias,…is a negative attitude, of which one is not consciously aware, against a specific social group.” When you exhibit this type of unconscious bias, you’re not only unaware of these negative behaviors or thoughts you possess, but they also often go against your stated beliefs (i.e., “I treat all my patients the same”) and Hippocratic Oath. Research demonstrates this everyone has implicit bias, period! So it’s not a matter of “if” providers will unknowingly treat certain patients differently than others , it’s a matter of “when.” And when a provider has some level of implicit bias toward various patient groups, it can lead to poorer patient-provider interactions. In a landmark study conducted by the Institute of Medicine, entitled “Unequal Treatment,” experts from multiple medical disciplines determined that racial minorities received worse health care than non-minorities (even when access to care barriers were controlled for) and that bias played a likely role.

Over the past several years, The Eastledge Group , Scale Strategic Solutions along with health economics expert Strategik513 have partnered with healthcare agencies that understand how implicit bias impacts health outcomes and have chosen to take affirmative steps to minimize its effects and advance health equity. They have chosen the CQ® Way. When you chose the CQ® Way, as a healthcare system, provider or clinician you are choosing to partner with experts who are committed to understanding how they can use cultural intelligence to reduce the impact of implicit bias in behavioral healthcare settings and begin to implement proven CQ strategies to improve health equity and make it a core competency for all of your leaders.

The Eastledge Group LLC

www.theeastledgegroup.com

Scale Strategic Solutions

www.scalestrategicsolutions.com

Strategik513

www.bestrategik.com

Columbus New Skills Ready Network Year 4 Annual Report

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 01:37:20 GMT

Career Connected Learning and Seamless Transitions in Columbus

Three years have passed since Scale Strategic Solutions first began collaborating with Ohio Excels, Columbus City Schools, Columbus State Community College, and The Ohio State University to support career pathways innovation in Columbus, Ohio through the New Skills ready network.

This past year, the Columbus New Skills ready network made significant strides in employer engagement for work-based learning; career awareness and education; and career pathway expansions at all levels of education.

Advance CTE in partnership with Education Strategy Group and JPMorgan Chase has published the Year 4 initiative annual report and snapshots. The Columbus snapshot features a profile of Maguette Niang, a graduate of Columbus State Community College and current student at Ohio State. Read more about the continued progress at https://careertech.org/resource-center/series/new-skills-ready-network/

StartUp 101 Features Scale Strategic Solutions

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 00:24:27 GMT

StartUp 101 Features Scale Strategic Solutions

Calista H. Smith, president of Scale Strategic Solutions, was featured in an article in StartUp 101. In the article, Calista discussed how her education and passion for helping the community inspired her to begin Scale Strategic Solutions. Check out the article to read more about Calista’s journey and what motivated her to launch her own venture! https://startup101.com/scale-strategic-solutions/

Request For Applications: Building Health Equity in Butler County -bi3

Thu, 02 May 2024 02:17:17 GMT

Request For Applications: Building Health Equity in Butler County - bi3

Last year, bi3 and its strategic partner TriHealth selected Scale Strategic Solutions to conduct a health and healthcare needs assessment in Butler County, Ohio. The needs assessment was conducted in two phases. Phase One included reviewing quantitative data on the state of health in Butler County. Phase Two focused on gathering qualitative data through one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and community forums with healthcare providers, community leaders, and community members in the County. The final report and action plan identified several opportunities to build health equity in Butler County. Based on the work of Scale Strategic Solutions, bi3 recently issued a request for proposal to address the findings. Proposals for projects increasing health services and resources in Bulter County are being accepted in a two-part process. A Letter of Intent is due by May 20, 2024, and the full proposal is due by July 29, 2024. For more information, check out https://bi3.org/how-we-fund/funding-opportunities/building-health-equity-in-butler-county-rfp/

Aligning Generative AI Use to Corporate Values

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 16:07:24 GMT

Aligning Generative AI Use to Corporate Values

In last month’s blog, Scale Strategic Solutions shared our learning journey regarding artificial intelligence (AI). In this post, we are sharing how we are intending to use AI, particularly generative AI. Generative AI provides an ability to create new content and brainstorm different ways to edit this content. While the potential is large, it is important, like any other tool, to consider the implications of its use and make sure that it is being used ethically. General considerations we are keeping in mind focus on data quality, privacy, transparency, integrity, and human touch.

Data Quality

AI is trained over a set of data and with an algorithm created by people. This sourcing of data needs to be carefully examined when using AI. Questions to ask are:

How was the data collected?
Who collected the data?
What is the origin of the data collection?
Who was training the algorithm? Within what parameters?

It is important to consider the quality of the data because otherwise, biases can arise. One example is of an AI recruiting (not generative AI) tool that a national organization was using. The algorithm was trained on data from a 10-year period. Most of the resumes submitted were by men. Because the algorithm tried to match most likely future candidates to past candidates, resumes that mentioned women were rejected or deemed of less quality. Moving forward when using these types of AI, it is important to keep in mind the quality of data and in the creation of algorithms to ensure that the entire AI isn’t biased.

Privacy

Another consideration to keep in mind is the use of private data when training or using AI. Public AI systems like ChatGPT keep the data that is entered into their system. Sharing private data with public AI systems could jeopardize the privacy of the people that provided that data. Likewise, training an AI tool with private data and making AI of public use could violate privacy. To avoid these scenarios, it is important to get the consent of participants that their data will be used to train AI or to interact with ChatGPT. If participants do not grant explicit permission, raw data should not be used in AI tools.

Transparency

Due to the possible bias in AI, it is important to be transparent with audiences about when AI is being used. This can refer to cases where AI is used to create content, deliverables, and products as well as when AI is used to take notes in meetings.

Integrity

Because AI is trained on the work of living people it can produce works that are in a similar style. Due to this, careful consideration should be taken in using works that are similar to existing artists and using those works as one’s own intellectual property without mentioning that it was created by AI.

Human Touch

AI requires a human touch in order to be used ethically. Generative Ai has been known to create mistakes when creating content. The human touch also offers the value add to clients and consumers that separates us from the competition. Everyone has access to AI, not everyone knows how to use it as a value add.

AI at Scale Strategic Solutions

To understand how we should use AI ethically at Scale, we reviewed our core values to create a compass for how we deploy AI. Here are examples of where we determined AI use was a fit with our core values:

Taking meeting notes when all meeting participants agree to use AI for notes . This is a time saver and can help us keep everyone on track with what was discussed. We do have to review the note summaries and make edits to be most effective.
Brainstorming survey questions . We can then edit these questions and personalize them to projects. This saves us a lot of brainstorming time and allows us to jump into executing research more quickly.
Learning more about complex subjects. As we move into different fields and add new team members, we are constantly needing to learn new things, ChatGPT does a great job at finding sources online and then explaining it in a variety of ways that make it easier to understand. It can be one source to complement other resources to learn about a field.
Drafting marketing or media posts . One aspect of generative AI is the large database that it has to create unique content from. In this way the creation of social media posts can be first brainstormed through AI applications through precise directions. We can then edit to add the personal touch.

Here are examples of where we thought AI did not align with our values:

Using AI only to create a report is practical, but it is not meticulous, resourceful, strategic, or done with love.
Sending AI-generated emails without review of content is resourceful and practical, but not meticulous, strategic, or done with love.
AI analysis of interview or focus group transcripts does not align with any of our values and would violate privacy of study participants.

What do you think? How are you using AI?

We’d like to hear from you, our readers, about AI:

What are your concerns? What are your doubts?
Have you started implementing AI at work? How? What type?
How do you see AI being implemented in the world of program evaluation?
What about using AI in organizational development and training?

Feel free to enter a comment to our post.

Is AI For Us? What We Are Learning

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 02:32:51 GMT

Is AI For Us? What We Are Learning

There is a lot of buzz around artificial intelligence (AI) and large corporate leadership in the field, but what does AI mean for small firms like Scale Strategic Solutions? Scale Strategic Solutions is exploring AI in a two-part blog to finish 2023. In this first post we will share what we are learning about artificial intelligence. In December we will discuss how Scale is considering the use of AI.

Small firms like ours are interacting with AI every day in suggested email responses, customer service chatbots, and summary features for online meetings. How can we use it more? Where should we be cautious about using it? Before we determined what Scale Strategic Solutions can and should do with artificial intelligence, we wanted to explore how it works.

What is AI?

McKinsey & Company define AI as “a machine’s ability to perform the cognitive functions we associate with human minds, such as perceiving, reasoning, learning, interacting with an environment, problem solving, and even exercising creativity.” Currently, artificial intelligence is a type of software that can imitate certain types of human intelligence based on certain data and algorithms (weak AI). It can be programed to understand written language, see patterns in data, solve problems, create images, be a virtual assistant, etc. However, these are usually separate AI systems, they rarely can adapt to complex environments. These AIs need to be trained on a specific task and at the moment lack the ability to understand certain types of complexity (strong AI).

The Process of Making AI

To make an AI program, you first define a problem. Let’s say you want to identify apples.

Then you gather and clean data relevant to your problem, In his case, these are characteristics of apples like shape, size, and color.

Next, you create an algorithm. You define what an apple is. For example, an algorithm could be: “If object is red, round with round protrusions at the top and bottom, and not bigger than an adult hand it is an apple.”

Then you train the AI. This can be done manually by telling it which of two pictures shown is an apple (Supervised Training). It can also be done automatically by giving the AI a lot of data and letting it learn on its own through pattern recognition (Unsupervised Training).

Finally, you launch the AI to the users taking into considerations things like user interface design so that it can be used by your target user. For example, there are AI models that require some coding or ChatGPT which you can use through simple text prompts.

With this understanding, we can consider the opportunities and limitations of using existing artificial intelligence apps and functions as well as developing and training artificial intelligence systems internally. Yet, the question remains, where do we still need human intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence

AI is software trained to do a specific task, so it is trained with a specific type of intelligence. Humans, however, have the intelligence to understand and solve very complex problems that to us may seem like routine interactions. For example, having an intimate and personal conversation about complex and conflicting emotions. Our self-awareness, emotional intelligence, creativity, logic, and reasoning allow us to adapt to multiple scenarios. Based on the current iterations of AI, it would be very easy to use it to help us refine an interview protocol but very limited in successfully interviewing study participants on complex social matters.

Humans can learn from our past mistakes, change our behavior, and learn through our environment. We can adapt to new cultures and accept different ways of thinking. We learn without someone telling us to learn. Humans are very good at behavioral pattern recognition and repetition. For example, faking a laugh at a terrible joke your in-law made.

For AI today, a lot of these tasks are simply impossible because they require a human to train them on a certain set of data that is currently unavailable. Furthermore, for many of the tasks that humans can do, it requires years and years of contextual qualitative data, which AI simply doesn’t have the physical capacity to acquire and process authentically. There are various artificial intelligence tools, but they are very task specific:

· Siri: Serves as virtual assistant that can help with a variety of tasks.

· AlphaFold: Predicts a protein’s structure which would help with the development of drugs.

· Spotify: Suggests new music based on the structure and genre of the music to which you have listened.

· Chat GPT: Responds to user’s questions and requests with summaries, draft language, code, and other forms of answers, depending on the extensions enabled.

· DALL-E: Generates images that can look like photographs or paintings of human artists.

Though there are many AI programs, there is no one AI that can do all these tasks. Nor can AI show humanity, like being a friend to someone. The efficiency of AI on specific tasks can be a great resource in a time-intensive service business but limited in bringing the human capabilities required in consulting. So how do we strike a balance? In our next blog, we will share how Scale Strategic Solutions will go about establishing our internal policy and practices for the use of artificial intelligence.

Unlocking Insights for Youth Well-Being

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 16:49:30 GMT

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey/ Youth Tobacco Survey in Ohio

Understanding the needs and behaviors of youth is crucial in crafting policies and programs that support their growth and development. In Ohio and nationally, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) /Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS) serve as tools for gaining insights into the lives of Ohio's young population. Scale Strategic Solutions, in collaboration with Strategic Research Group and the Ohio Department of Health, is working with randomly selected schools to engage youth in the 2023 YRBS/YTS Study. These surveys provide data that inform the creation of statewide policies, programs, and initiatives aimed at better supporting the needs of Ohio's youth.

Data for Informed Decision-Making

One of the strengths of the YRBS/YTS in Ohio is its ability to provide a comprehensive view of youth behaviors. These reports are organized by topic, and the data are further broken down by demographic factors such as sex, grade, race, and ethnicity. This granularity enables researchers, policymakers, and advocates to pinpoint which groups are more at risk for certain health behaviors across the state.

For instance, the data reveal that in Ohio, significantly more high school females (31.7%) than males (12.3%) reported seriously considering a suicide attempt in the 12 months preceding the survey administered in 2021. As we highlighted suicide prevention in September, this insight is helpful when tailoring suicide prevention initiatives or educational programs to address the specific needs of youth.

National Comparisons for a Broader Perspective

The beauty of YRBS/YTS is that it's not limited to Ohio. This survey is conducted nationally, and this means that we can compare Ohio's data to that of the entire United States. The CDC’s Youth Online data analysis tool makes these comparisons easy. Data comparisons may be retrieved at https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/results.htm .

For example, Ohio had a higher percentage of students who reported being bullied on school property than the national average in the 2021 survey. It is through these comparisons that Ohio can identify areas where the state may redouble its efforts to ensure youth health and safety.

Trends Over Time

The YRBS/YTS is administered every two years. If enough selected schools agree to participate in the study, Ohio can have the trend data it needs to inform policy. Between 2011 and 2013, the percentage of high school students who reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 or more weeks went from 27.1% to 25.85. However, between 2019-2021 the percentages went from 33% to 42.6% Data are not available for 2015 and 2017 for a contiguous trend over time. Ohio hopes not to interrupt the availability of data in the future because of lack of school and youth participation.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey and Youth Tobacco Survey offer a rich view of the healthy and unhealthy behaviors among Ohio's youth. By leveraging these insights, Ohio is better equipped to create effective programs, measure their success, and secure the funding needed to make a positive impact on the lives of its young residents.

Note: This article was written by Scale Strategic Solutions staff with assistance with prose from artificial intelligence. Data references were selected by staff.

Improving Access to High Quality Career Pathways

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 20:59:59 GMT

The Columbus New Skills ready network

Since 2021, Scale Strategic Solutions has supported career pathways innovation and collaboration in Columbus, Ohio through the New Skills ready network. The initiative focuses on implementation and expansion of high-quality work-based learning, seamless secondary and postsecondary transitions, coordinated career advising and expansion of in-demand pathways.

Strengthening the alignment and rigor of career pathways achieves opportunities that are both valuable to the workforce and learners, particularly underserved and underrepresented populations. In collaboration with Ohio Excels, Columbus City Schools, Columbus State Community College, and The Ohio State University, we are developing a central Ohio career pathways system with cohesive partnerships that can strategically utilize resources and data to provide opportunities for learners.

Advance CTE, in partnership with Education Strategy Group and JPMorgan Chase recently published the annual report and snapshots with initiative lessons from Columbus, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, and Nashville. Read about the work: https://careertech.org/ resource/new-skills-ready-network-annual-report-2022-2023

Research for Empathy, Change and Connections

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 01:43:49 GMT

Research for Empathy, Change, and Connections

In a world where communication has become increasingly digital, impersonal, and even suspicious, we must remember the significance of hearing people's voices. Each individual possesses a unique perspective and lived experience, making their voice invaluable in shaping our collective understanding. Scale Strategic Solutions spoke with a host of people in interviews and focus groups that culminated in reports or presentations we delivered in June.

The power of people’s perspective from intimate, personal communication is unmatched. Qualitative research, whether it is a focus group conversation or drawings from stakeholders, provide a platform to delve into these voices, uncovering rich narratives that offer profound insights. In this blog, we will explore the power of hearing people's voices through qualitative research and how it can promote empathy, drive social change, and foster meaningful connections.

Qualitative research goes beyond numbers and statistics, delving into the intricacies of human experiences. It embraces the subjective and aims to understand the "why" and "how" behind people's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. By utilizing methods such as interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic observations, qualitative researchers can capture the nuances of individual stories, shedding light on the complexities of the human condition.

Promoting Empathy and Understanding

One of the most significant contributions of qualitative research is its ability to foster empathy and understanding. By giving individuals a platform to share their stories, researchers can amplify voices that are often marginalized or overlooked. Through active listening and deep engagement, researchers can uncover the intricate layers of a person's life, including their challenges, triumphs, and aspirations. This process allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the human experience, breaking down barriers and cultivating empathy among diverse populations.

Driving Social Change

The power of hearing people's voices extends far beyond personal growth and understanding. Qualitative research has the potential to drive social change by highlighting systemic issues, advocating for marginalized communities, and influencing policies and practices. By uncovering the experiences of those who have been silenced or ignored, qualitative research provides evidence for the need for change. Hearing people's voices becomes a catalyst for transforming society, promoting inclusivity, and enhancing communities.

Fostering Meaningful Connections

At its core, qualitative research is a collaborative process that nurtures meaningful connections between researchers and participants. By actively engaging with participants, researchers can build trust, rapport, and mutual respect. This connection allows participants to feel valued and heard, enabling them to open up and share their stories authentically. These genuine connections create a safe space for self-expression and can empower participants to reclaim their narratives, leading to personal growth and healing.

As we navigate a world that can sometimes drown out individual voices, let us remember the value of qualitative research and strive to create inclusive spaces where every voice can be heard, respected, and embraced. Our vision is that the reports and presentations we produce at this time of year create the world we want to see with empathy, positive social change, and meaningful connections.

Note: The blog was co-authored by human intelligence and artificial intelligence.

Voices of Ohioans Who Have Experienced Cancer

Wed, 24 May 2023 21:07:31 GMT

Tell Us What You Need!

On behalf of the Ohio Department of Health Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, Scale Strategic Solutions is conducting focus groups with Ohio cancer patients and survivors to understand opportunities and barriers to cancer support programs, community resources, and preferred interventions for patients. Information from the focus groups will help the Ohio Department of Health and its Ohio Partners for Cancer Control statewide coalition implement the Ohio Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan.

Focus group date: May 31, 2023, 6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m. ET online through Zoom

Please complete this short survey to see if you qualify for the study and to receive participation information.

Eligible Participants

You may participate one-time in a focus group. We will accept registrations for no more than one patient per household. You may register for the study if you are:

A person that is in active cancer treatment or has completed their active cancer treatment within the past five years (Please Note: Here we are only asking about treatment used to cause a partial or complete remission, not maintenance treatment or physical/emotional therapy).
A resident of Ohio over the age of 18.

Benefits and Risks

Your input is very important and will help us identify solutions for the needs of patients who have experienced cancer. There is no physical harm or physical risk in participating in this group discussion. During the focus group discussion, participants may share personal experiences which may lead to slight emotional discomfort. While we invite you to share your thoughts and ideas, your participation is entirely voluntary.

Participants may share personal experiences which may lead to slight emotional discomfort. Your participation is entirely voluntary. Participants who stay at least 60 minutes in the focus group will receive a one-time $25.00 gift card for their time.

Additional Information

If you would like more information about this study, you may contact the Ohio Department of Health’s vendor for this project, Scale Strategic Solutions, through Hector Medina at hm@scalestrategicsolutions.com or 513-897-8169. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a focus group participant, please contact Dawn Ingles, Ohio Department of Health Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, at dawn.ingles@odh.ohio.gov

Strengthening Families, Protecting Children

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:38:27 GMT

National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month

Preventing child abuse and neglect is not just about keeping people with bad intentions away from children, it is also about supporting and educating parents and families about raising children with the pressures of today.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Scale Strategic Solutions has worked with service providers in Southwest and West Ohio to get parent feedback about training and support offered through Ohio’s primary public resource for prevention of child abuse and neglect, the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund.

Our focus group inquiries pinpoint ways to help parents and caregivers enhance the five protective factors for strengthening families:

Parental Resilience
Social Connections
Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development
Concrete Support in Times of Need
Social and Emotional Competence of Children

These protective factors are key to supporting parents and other caregivers. We look forward to continuing our work with families and communities to help prevent further child abuse and neglect.

Storytime: Story in Strategy, Research, and Evaluation

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 16:44:59 GMT

Storytime: Story in Strategy, Research, and Evaluation

Storytelling, since the beginning of time, has been key to building community, understanding context, sharing lessons, and deepening understanding. Recently, Scale Strategic Solutions has engaged with powerful reminders about engaging story in strategy, research, and evaluation.

Interact for Health, a Greater Cincinnati philanthropy for which Scale Strategic Solutions has conducted research on equity in recovery housing and an evaluation on a tobacco cessation campaign, asked community members: What does a healthy and thriving community look like to you? The foundation then asked Cincinnati’s Poet Laureate, Dr. Yalie Saweda Kamara, to write and perform “A Chant for Access”, a spoken word poem based on the community’s voices and vision for a healthy , thriving community. The piece beautifully illustrates that storytelling can go beyond connecting events and experiences. Storytelling can weave visionary and actual accounts to convey information. Storytelling can anchor our organizational and community strategies so we know what success will look like.

Research and evaluation can also rely on story. The American Evaluation Association has chosen for its 2023 conference theme, “The Power of Story”. The association’s topical interest group on nonprofits and foundations evaluation released a series of blogs on storytelling in evaluation . While we may traditionally think of capturing stories in interviews, focus groups, or other qualitative data collection methods, stories and storytelling can be leveraged to develop logic models, visualize quantitative data, and present findings.

Scale Strategic Solutions continues to be inspired and motivated by powerful stories and will look at ways we can best use story to transform information into action with expertise and love.

Supporting Goals of Students in Credit and Non Credit Programs at Community Colleges

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 22:24:24 GMT

Supporting Goals of Students in Credit and Non Credit Programs at Community Colleges

Scale Strategic Solutions has provided our Calista Smith to coach three institutions, Northwest Arkansas Community College, North Shore Community College, and San Diego Community College District, as a part of the Non-Credit and Credit Alignment Lab (NCAL) led by Education Strategy Group and the Association of Community College Trustees. NCAL is a two-year initiative to support community colleges in developing new or improved pathways between non-credit and credit programs. We are proud of the progress of those that are involved. Two of the colleges that we coach are featured in this blog by Education Strategy Group: https://edstrategy.org/students-in-non-credit-programs-want-degrees-and-three-other-things-theyd-like-you-to-know/

Dr. Martin Luther King Day: Advice for Living

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 04:18:32 GMT

Dr. Martin Luther King Day: Advice for Living

When we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr on the third Monday in January every year, we often think of his powerful “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. King was not only known for his vision and sacrifice but also his practical, daily pursuits of justice. It is a little known fact that Dr. King answered questions in an advice column called “Advice For Living” which ran in Ebony Magazine in 1957 and 1958. The topics included family issues and race relations. While some of his responses may not be as progressive today, they showed his moral convictions and evolving attitudes on controversial issues in an effort to become closer to living out love, peace, and justice. King continued publishing the column until his doctor advised him to limit his commitments after he was stabbed in September 1958 .

King served the community not only in his writing and oratory, but his planning, policy advocacy, and community building. MLK Day is recognized as a National Day of Service – it is the only federal holiday with this designation. On this day, all Americans are encouraged to be like Dr. King and volunteer to improve our communities. Scale Strategic Solutions honors this day as a company holiday and hopes our employees, collaborators, clients, and others make time to learn about justice and serve the community. For ideas on how to best serve your community and to learn more about MLK Day, check https://americorps.gov/newsroom/events/mlk-day

Creating Paths of Community Engagement

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 03:11:31 GMT

Creating Paths of Community Engagement

In August 2021, Great Parks of Hamilton County acquired a 22-acre property in the Westwood neighborhood and is looking to design it with funds from Clean Ohio. Great Parks contracted with New Reach Community Consulting to lead community engagement to design and inform plans for the new park located on Work Road. Scale Strategic Solutions is working with New Reach to gather community input. One of the ways we are assisting is by gathering information from a community survey. The survey has had incredible response based on communication from an advisory group, postcards to the community, social media, and traditional media coverage. See this feature in local news: https://www.fox19.com/2022/11/23/hamilton-county-is-designing-new-parkand-they-want-your-input/

If you live, work, or play in or around Westwood, feel free to complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GreatParkWerk2022

Worth A Thousand Words: Graphic Recording

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 20:34:57 GMT

Graphic Recording is a Powerful Way to Capture Qualitative Data

As we are increasingly saturated with data, finding ways to visualize information can create shared understanding and move projects forward in a more effective manner than just words on a paper. Many people think about data visualization for numbers and other quantitative data. However, visualization can be valuable for qualitative data too. One visualization option for qualitative information is graphic recording.

Graphic recording captures conversations and stories into images, often generated and displayed during a meeting. It is increasingly used in continuous improvement from strategic planning to community engagement to evaluation. Graphic recording is also occurring in conference presentations to increase audience engagement and to synthesize keynote speeches. Scale Strategic Solutions worked with Brandon Black of Drawnversation to record a series of community cafes for the University of Cincinnati’s CPS Strong initiative. We were able to use graphic recording for in virtual and in-person settings.

Here is what we love about working with graphic recording:

· Graphic recording can integrate and summarize parts of a discussion succinctly.

· Visual images of the conversation help everyone understand the points communicated by fellow participants.

· The visualization prompts other ideas from participants as they see the notes coming together.

· Stakeholders can quickly review the graphic notes after a meeting to comprehend what was said.

· As participants see their conversations depicted, graphic recordings generate emotion and excitement in ways that traditional meeting notes do not evoke.

A picture is worth a thousand words. How have you used graphic recording? What do you use to visualize themes from conversations or convenings?

Teaming Leads To Growth

lauraflowers@checkitoffnow.com — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 18:46:28 GMT

Teaming Leads To Growth

In an effort to build partnerships between local small businesses, prime contractors, and local government, the City of Cincinnati’s Department of Economic Inclusion is hosting the Business Enterprise Expo on Friday, September 30, 2022 between 9 am - 3pm at the Duke Energy Center. Scale Strategic Solutions will have a booth at the event.

Scale Strategic Solutions performs work nationally and locally as a prime contractor and a subcontractor. Teaming with other organizations is an important strategy for delivering high quality services to clients. Scale worked with prime contract Griffin & Strong to conduct interviews for the City of Cincinnati Disparity Study.

Scale’s Calista Smith recently spoke about her experiencing teaming with other companies and doing business with the City of Cincinnati on the relaunch of the Gateway to Economic Inclusion talk show. The show is hosted by City of Cincinnati Development Managers Valeria Cummings Swope and Will Serrano-Franklin. The episode also highlighted the Business Enterprise Expo.

“The event will allow the city certified businesses to display what they do to purchasing agents, large companies, and those involved in major upcoming projects across the tri-state area,” said Cummings Swope. The cost to attend the event is free to certified businesses, and food will be served.

To watch the Gateway to Economic Inclusion episode, visit https://vimeo.com/740759312

For more information about the September 30 Business Expo, contact Valeria Cummings Swope at valeria.cummings@cincinnati-oh.gov

Ready to Go Back: Resources to Revisit as the School Year Starts

lauraflowers@checkitoffnow.com — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 22:14:53 GMT

Ready to Go Back: Resources to Revisit as the School Year Starts

As summer is wrapping up, students are returning to schools. Communities are becoming mindful of the return as traffic patterns change, routines are redeveloped, and some homes become empty nests. As we think about education now, here are some of our favorite articles, posts, and videos this year to remind us of maximizing student experiences and outcomes in education:

1. Oberlin, Ohio’s Kurt Russell named 2022 National Teacher of the Year

CBS Mornings, April 19, 2022

-A feature on teacher excellence

2. “ The Three Rs of Pandemic Learning: Roadblocks, Resilience, and Resources ”

US Government Accountability Office, June 14, 2022

-A reality check of the effects of the pandemic on learning with hope and resources for how to address the issues

3. Degree Reclamation Playbook

Institute for Higher Education Policy, January 2022

-A toolkit for colleges to help adult learners who have some college but no degree to finish earning their degree

4. “What We’ve Learned about Creating Safe, Equitable, and Engaging Schools”

AIR, February 25, 2022

-Links to research and highlights of six principles for safe, equitable and engaging learning environments

5. “ Launching Your Middle Schooler to Success ”

The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center, May 23, 2022

-A resource offering ways for parents to engage with their middle school child and their school, while acknowledging how it may be different from elementary school

Equity in Recovery Housing

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 20:15:16 GMT

Scale Strategic Solutions Presents Findings from Focus Groups on Recovery Housing Resources

Jennifer Williams, Ed.D. represented Scale Strategic Solutions on Interact for Health's Equity in Recovery Housing webinar on June 14, 2022. Dr. Williams shared insights from focus groups conducted by Scale Strategic Solutions of people with lived experience of drug and alcohol recovery, their family and friends, and recovery and treatment professionals from communities of color in Greater Cincinnati. Alongside fellow panelist, Lawrence Bryant, Ph.D., Williams presented on topics of access; desired housing characteristics; cultural needs and linguistic supports; and wrap around services to advance equity.

View a PDF of the presentation at https://www.interactforhealth.org/upl/media/equity_in_recovery_housing_6-14-22.pdf or the recording of the event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCIRMBF63vE .

Interact for Health also discussed its request for proposal to provide more resources to improve the equity, availability, and quality of recovery housing. Check out the Funding Opportunities page on the Interact for Health website https://www.interactforhealth.org/funding-opportunities/ for more information about the funding opportunity. Proposals are due July 26.

Scale Strategic Solutions is Recognized as City of Cincinnati Business Enterprise of the Month

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 01:13:21 GMT

Scale Strategic Solutions is Recognized as City of Cincinnati Business Enterprise of the Month

The City of Cincinnati Department of Economic Inclusion selected Scale Strategic Solutions as the June 2022 Business Enterprise of the Month. Being a City of Cincinnati certified M/WBE has facilitated opportunities for Scale Strategic Solutions to connect and partner with other firms to deliver work for the city. Scale Strategic Solutions collaborated with Griffin & Strong in 2021-2022 to conduct interviews for the city’s disparity study. On June 15, the firm received recognition at the City of Cincinnati Council meeting ,

For more about the Business Enterprise of the Month recognition, visit https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/inclusion/news/june-2022-business-enterprise-of-the-month/

Degrees When Due: Lighting the Path

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Fri, 20 May 2022 14:34:37 GMT

Degrees When Due: Lighting the Path

Scale Strategic Solutions assisted the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) in implementing the Degrees When Due program for three years. This program is important because it supported 200 institutions in 23 states in reengaging students who have some college experience but have not completed their degree.

The Degrees When Due final report, Lighting the Path to Remove Systemic Barriers in Higher Education and Award Earned Postsecondary Credentials , is now available. It shares key findings on barriers to reenrollment, persistence, and completion; strategies to best support returning students; and offers recommendations to promote equitable degree completion.

Mamie Voight, IHEP’s President and CEO said, “We’re incredibly proud of our DWD partners and celebrate with them and with the students who have now been awarded the credentials they worked so hard to earn.”

Postsecondary Education Still Makes Dollars and Sense

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 00:46:33 GMT

Postsecondary Education Still Makes Dollars and Sense

Do you need college to have a good career? According to research by the Georgetown University Center for Education and Workforce, a college degree still pays off even considering the cost of debt.

Scale Strategic Solutions has provided services for a variety of post-secondary student success efforts including the Institute for Higher Education Policy’s Degrees When Due, Ohio’s Complete to Compete initiative , and various initiatives with the Ohio Department of Higher Education. Education after high school is still valuable but

· “College” should include post-secondary education and credentials more broadly. Industry certifications, apprenticeships, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees are solid credentials for success. The traditional four-year degree is not the only valuable option. However, Census data show that the median lifetime earnings for bachelor’s degrees holders is $2.8 million compared to roughly $1.9-2 million dollars for people with some college or an associate degree.

· A balanced college investment depends on how much you spend for college and your field of study. Fields of study in science, technology, engineering, math, and health lead to higher paying jobs compared to degrees in arts, psychology, social work, and education. However, our economy and communities still need people in all these occupations. If someone’s interest is greater in a field of study where income is lower, it is a better investment for them to pursue a degree at college with a lesser rate of tuition and more scholarship options. Georgetown University also developed a report ranking colleges by return on investment.

· Finishing college is crucial. Too many students start college and are interrupted before they receive a degree or credential. Leveraging resources for financial aid, wholistic supports, and ways to re-enroll smoothly after time off are necessary. Many institutions, communities, and policymakers are thinking creatively about the strategies to advance college completion.

Collaborators in post-secondary education must continue to prioritize:

1. Changing the way post-secondary institutions operate to better serve today’s students and focus on the jobs of the present and future.

2. Braiding of resources for a breadth of support for students including federal, state, and philanthropic funds.

3. Closing equity gaps so that disparities by race, gender, socio-economic status no longer exist.

Scale Strategic Solutions is proud to play a role in moving the needle on college completion in our home state and nationally.

Lessons From Covid-19: Reflections on Public and Non-Profit Resources

lauraflowers@checkitoffnow.com — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 20:19:00 GMT

Lessons From Covid-19: Reflections on Public and Non-Profit Resources

It has been two years since COVID-19 hit Ohio. In March 2020, the first cases in Ohio were identified. School buildings closed and public events were cancelled. Scale Strategic Solutions, along with the rest of the world, shifted to a new virtual reality. As of March 17, 2022 more than 2,666,030 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the state and 37, 608 Ohioans have lost their lives due to the virus.

Since the onset of the pandemic, communities have been rethinking their resources, infrastructure, and plans. The murder of George Floyd and other examples of injustice and racial disparities across the nation in 2020 also elevated the need to do things differently.

Scale Strategic Solutions along with New Reach Community Consulting conducted stakeholder interviews and focus groups in Central Ohio in late 2020 and early 2021 to anticipate the long-term economic, social, and growth impact of the pandemic.

Informed by Scale Strategic Solutions’ work and additional community data, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission produced briefs on multiple components of the economy, infrastructure, and social fabric. These briefs were used to spark community conversation and will continue to serve as a resource for transforming information into action. For more information, visit https://www.morpc.org/covid19policybriefs/ .

How are you continuing to revisit and reimagine resources, infrastructure, and plans?

Community Health Needs Assessment

lauraflowers@checkitoffnow.com — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 21:45:26 GMT

Community Health Needs Assessment 2021 Findings

The regional Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is conducted every three years to better understand the needs and opportunities to increase health outcomes in our area. The CHNA identifies the top health conditions in the community, the root causes of unmet community health needs, and the barriers to healthcare services.

The Health Collaborative in partnership with the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association coordinated the CHNA across 26 counties, 36 hospitals, and 22 health departments in Ohio, southeast Indiana, and northern Kentucky. Measurement Resources Company led the 2021 study, and Scale Strategic Solutions served as a subcontractor to Measurement Resources Company to conduct focus groups and interviews to assist in collecting data for the CNHA.

The three most prevalent health conditions in the region, according to the findings were:

· Cardiovascular related conditions, such as hypertension

· Mental Health related conditions, such as depression and anxiety

· Arthritis/Osteoporosis

The three most untreated health conditions were found to include:

· Vision

· Dental

· Allergy

The health conditions that were most impacted by Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) include the following:

· Cardiovascular conditions

· Mental Health

· Vision

· Lung/ Respiratory Health

· Diabetes

SDOH factors that most impacted health in the region include:

· Economic Stability (e.g., housing, food security, financial ability to pay bills)

· Neighborhood and Built Environment (e.g., access to transportation, parks, outdoor activities, stable phone, and internet services)

· Education Access and Quality (perception of schools, availability of childcare)

· Social and Community Connectedness (Having someone to talk to and feeling connected to the community)

· Healthcare Access and Quality (Perception of quality of health care available, cultural relevancy of health care, ease of finding desired health care, ease of navigating healthcare costs)

The structural barriers in the region’s healthcare system are:

· Competition across healthcare organizations/systems

· Workloads and caseloads are high

· Lack of effective clinical-community linkages

· Language barriers and cultural differences

· High cost of services

· Limited workforce

· Inflexible and restricted funding structures and/or investment in community

· Lack of culturally relevant communication strategies and services across providers

· Limited implementation of DEI practices within organizations

· Community member distrust in the healthcare ecosystem (providers, insurers, pharmacies, etc.)

· Limited implementation of best practices of trauma-informed care

The systemic barriers to community health were found to be:

· Structural racism

· High-cost healthcare system

· Structural divide between healthcare system, holistic wellness providers, and social service providers

To read more details about the assessment or the full results and recommendations, check out https://healthcollab.org/community-health-needs-assessment/ .

Turn on the Light

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 20:16:20 GMT

Turn on the Light to Transform Information in Action

You may feel like you are in 'the dark' about your work. Organizations may be asking themselves:

Where do we want to take our organization in 2022 and beyond?

How do we plan for our uncertain world?

What can we learn from where we are?

Are we having impact with our programs and activities?

Scale Strategic Solutions can work with you to turn on the light. We often collaborate with other experts, like Right Path Enterprises, to co-create transformation with you. Enjoy this piece of inspiration from Right Path Enterprises to put light into your 2022.

Holiday Principles for Community and Organizational Success

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 02:49:32 GMT

Holiday Principles for Community and Organizational Success

Habari Gani! What is the news? Happy Kwanzaa!

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga as a non-religious holiday to inspire community building and ancestral connection for Black Americans. Observed between December 26- January 1, there are Nguzo Saba, seven principles in Swahili, to celebrate each day. The principles can serve as a source of universal inspiration. Here are some ways the principles can apply to organizations and businesses.

Umoja- Unity

Recognizing how we are joined as one unit—one team, one company, one effort—is a way to harness collective power and is foundational to centering people on the organizational mission.

Kujichagulia- Self-Determination

We live in an uncertain and ambiguous world including unpredictable pandemic implications. Kujichagulia reminds us that we can still speak up and assert the vision we have. We can work within our spheres of influence and control to pursue opportunity among the challenges.

Ujima- Collective Work and Responsibility

Ujima promotes collective work and responsibility. It affirms that we are each other’s keepers. Community and corporate social responsibility reflect Ujima where we provide our time, talent, and treasure for the greater good.

Ujamaa- Cooperative Economics

Our bottom lines are interconnected with other companies, with community, and with families. We must work together for economic equity and empowerment for all. As organizations, we must think about our role as buyers and suppliers in supporting local businesses, small businesses, women-owned businesses, Black-owned businesses, and businesses owned by indigenous people and people of color. Fair pay and compensation to our staff are also key to cooperative economics.

Nia- Purpose

Nia is “to make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness,” according to Karenga. Not only is this a powerful statement to encourage pride in cultural heritage, but it can also serve as a call to action for greatness within our organizations. Focusing on purpose, despite 2021’s disruption in our work, industries, and supply chains, is energizing to take us into 2022.

Kuumba-Creativity

Creativity is the source of problem-solving and innovation. If our staff, vendors, and collaborators tap into creativity, our organizations will soar.

Imani- Faith

We must believe in what we can do as individual contributors and as an organization to achieve our goals. Despite struggles and setbacks, faith inspires us to keep going with the lessons we have learned.

Scale Strategic Solutions wishes you a wonderful holiday season including a Happy Kwanzaa and Happy New Year!

Thank You Notes From Scale Strategic Solutions

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 15:18:34 GMT

Thank You Notes From Scale Strategic Solutions

As part of a virtual conference, we recently received as a game prize, “Thank You Notes” by Jimmy Fallon and the writers of Late Night. Inspired by the book, we offer our own notes of gratitude for our experiences in 2021.

Thank you, remote teamwork. We can now, more quickly, remember the difference between time zones.

Thank you, virtual backgrounds, for making us softer around the edges.

Thank you, mute button, for ensuring that we think for a moment before we speak—intentionally or unintentionally.

While it is fun to look at our world as a glass half full with all of the adaptations that come from the pandemic, there were many people and many things for which we are sincerely grateful, without any prompts from comedians. We are thankful for:

· Our study participants who took time to share their experience with us in focus groups, interviews, and surveys. We know you didn’t have to do it, and your input is valued.

· Our training participants for taking the time to learn and grow with our support. We wish you continued growth.

· Our initiative partners for letting us facilitate your work to change our world—one step at a time.

· Our clients and their staff members for engaging us and entrusting us to help you achieve your mission.

· Our team members -- employees, subcontractors, and collaborators -- who work tirelessly to meet the needs of our clients and community.

This is only a partial list of so many people and organizations for which we are grateful. Scale Strategic Solutions is filled with gratitude.

Scale Strategic Solutions is supporting two disparity studies in southwest Ohio

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 18:29:36 GMT

Business leaders, especially small business owners, are busy. Among the busy days, Scale Strategic Solutions encourages business owners who serve or would like to serve public agencies to respond to requests for participation in disparity studies.

Each disparity study has a specific scope focused on the jurisdiction and its needs. However, disparity studies generally identify whether small businesses or minority- or woman-owned businesses face any barriers as part of public contracting practices, as well as provide recommendations on how to improve public procurement processes to address any inequities that may be present, all while meeting legal standards.

Scale Strategic Solutions is supporting two disparity studies in southwest Ohio. We are conducting interviews on behalf of BBC Research & Consulting to collect data for the Hamilton County Disparity Study and on behalf of Griffin & Strong, P.C. for the City of Cincinnati Disparity Study . Representatives from the Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati Disparity Study project teams, including Calista H. Smith of Scale Strategic Solutions, shared more about the studies on Gateway to Inclusion on CitiCable . View the show at https://archive.org/details/gtei-2021-5 .

Sharing Strategies for Post-secondary Transitions for Students with Disabilities

lauraflowers@checkitoffnow.com — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 02:22:33 GMT

Sharing Strategies for Post-secondary Transitions for Students with Disabilities...

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has awarded grants through its Innovative Strategies Grant for Developing College and Career Readiness since 2017. The initiative looks to support innovation and use of evidence-based predictors and practices for advancing post-secondary success for students with disabilities. Scale Strategic Solutions has evaluated the project for several years. As part of the grant, ODE asks grantees to provide a resource that may be replicable for other schools and districts who want to improve their transition planning for students with disabilities. They archived resources from projects, including strategies tried during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the online binder of resources at: https://www.livebinders.com/b/2571184

Trauma in the Context of Research and Evaluation

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 19:12:41 GMT

Trauma in the Context of Research and Evaluation

By Jennifer E. Williams, Ed.D.

Every day on the news we see images of trauma—storms, earthquakes, fires, pandemics, threats and other stressors wreaking havoc on the lives of human beings across the globe. But to what extent do we, as researchers, evaluators or social scientists consider the impact of trauma on our clients, participants and respondents? The death of classmates or teachers due to violent injuries, physical abuse as part of bullying or excessive force from law enforcement or of school staff and social exclusion, such as in quarantining, suspensions or expulsions can all be traumatic. All human beings experience trauma to one degree or another, but many of us fail to recognize it and how it might influence the quality of our interventions, data, or outcomes. A popular assessment of trauma is the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scale which allows us to predict some likely results and responses to changes or stimuli in individual participants, schools, workplaces, or communities. Below we explore three different types of trauma and how you may experience it in your work. 

Physical Trauma

Physical trauma is often obvious—we suffer a physical assault or see people with an exacerbated fear of injury. We immediately know what’s happening and it’s easier to seek help. But physical trauma can also include sexual assault, hazing rituals, corporal punishment. Suffering physical trauma can have an impact on one’s psyche, ability to learn, to attend and to develop prosocial relationships. In research and evaluation, we must consider how we ask questions or collect data from participants that may trigger traumatic experiences.

Psychological Trauma

All traumas have an impact on the mind, but some trauma is caused by psychological assaults. Psychological trauma usually involves some type of emotional assault and/or is the result of an extremely distressing event that negatively impacts one’s sense of well-being. This can include bullying, witnessing violence, being forced to participate in violence or degrading acts.  As with other types of trauma, psychological trauma may completely overwhelm the individual’s ability to participate fully and cause extreme mental distress. As researchers and evaluators, it’s wise to be mindful to not re-traumatize participants as we seek to understand their experiences. It’s also necessary to recognize respondents’ beliefs and cultural values. While one person may experience teasing, or ‘playing the dozens’ as playful interaction, another may be experiencing a similar interaction as traumatic bullying.

Social Trauma

Social trauma is a type of distressing event or ongoing events an individual experiences in the wider society. For example, repeatedly facing discrimination because of your race or the color of your skin is a form of social trauma.  Other forms of social trauma include implicit or explicit bias based on sexism, ageism, gender identification, and ethnic persecution. A person may not recognize the impact of this type of trauma until they suffer through several experiences which threaten to overwhelm the person’s ability to cope or adapt their behavior in effectively, positive ways.  As researchers study our social connections and lived experience, understanding how social trauma operates can inform the research methodology and conclusions.

Take the time to explore how direct or vicarious trauma could be impacting one’s mental, behavioral and physical health as well as the implementation and outcomes of research and evaluation. We must also integrate the concepts of social and emotional learning (SEL), racism as a public health issue and equity / inclusion (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) of all stakeholders as measurable and ongoing requirements for yielding valid and reliable methods, processes and outcomes.

Building Cultural Intelligence

lauraflowers@checkitoffnow.com — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 18:30:45 GMT

Building Cultural Intelligence...

Cultural Intelligence® is the ability for organizations and individuals to navigate our diverse world effectively. Scale Strategic Solutions realizes how the need for cultural intelligence shows up not only in organizational training but strategic planning, project management, and program evaluation. We often collaborate with consultants, such as The Eastledge Group, to bring diversity, equity, and inclusion subject matter expertise into projects. Together with the Eastledge Group, we have delivered cultural intelligence training to clients based on the work of the Cultural Intelligence Center so that stakeholders can improve their skills to operate and manage in multicultural settings. Our clients have appreciated how this framework provides practical strategies and tactics for individuals and builds skills that can be applied to a range of settings and interpersonal exchanges. Visit The Eastledge Group to see more about Cultural Intelligence ®, https://www.theeastledgegroup.com/blog/cultural-intelligence-a-game-changer-for-diversity-amp-inclusion-professionals.

Honoring Juneteenth: From DEI Proclamation to DEI Implementation

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 12:13:53 GMT

Honoring Juneteenth: From DEI Proclamation to DEI Implementation

Juneteenth commemorates when the Union army went to Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, and announced the end of slavery in the United States. More than 250,000 black people were still in bondage two and a half years after the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, as the Civil War continued to April 1865 and the executive decree was not readily communicated to enslaved people. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery and the realization of freedom, not just the promise of freedom.

Scale Strategic Solutions has the pleasure of partnering with Steven J. Baines of Elevate Your Image to assist the Galveston Park Board and the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau with its journey to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the tourism and recreation industry. Building on the city’s rich history of Juneteenth is not only an opportunity for cultural tourism and legacy building, but it is also a reminder that our values of freedom, diversity, equity, and inclusion come to life through an intentional implementation process.

Scale Strategic Solutions specializes in strategic planning and organizational development. While we have always operated with a lens toward DEI, we partner with DEI subject matter experts, like Steven, for organizations that are creating or revising their DEI plans. We take our clients through a process, so they come away not only with a DEI vision and principles but also an actionable DEI plan. The plan must have clear steps, monitoring processes, organizational structures, and operational nudges to bring their DEI plan to life. DEI plans cannot just be proclamations; armies of dedicated stakeholders must implement the DEI plan in daily practices, procedures, and interactions.

Happy Juneteenth!

Social Emotional Learning Part 2: Well Being of Educators

Sun, 30 May 2021 23:50:38 GMT

Social-Emotional Learning Part 2: Well-Being of Educators

In the 2020-2021 school year, teachers and staff were dealing with a new frontier of education delivery. According to data from Panorama Education, more than 20% of the 13,000 educators in their dataset were “quite” or “extremely” concerned about their social-emotional well-being this year. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a 2017 American Federation of Teachers study found that 61% of educators surveyed said their work was always or often stressful compared to 30% of workers in the general population. This second of a two-part series on social emotional learning will focus on the needs of educators.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is how people learn and apply knowledge, attitudes, and skills for:

Self-awareness of emotions, values, strengths, and limitations
Social awareness and empathy
Self-management of emotions and behaviors to achieve one’s goals
Responsible decision-making about personal and social choices and behaviors
Relationship skills to form positive relationships, work in teams, and effectively resolve conflicts.

While there has been much focus on the needs of our young people, adults in the education system need to consider their socio-emotional learning and skills. To develop students’ social-emotional skills, the adults in the districts need to feel supported and valued too. Student SEL ought to start with adults.

There are considerably fewer resources for adult professional development compared with what is available for children. Here are a few resources addressing adult social emotional learning and self-care that may be useful for educators:

A Comprehensive Guide to Adult SEL from Panorama Education
Advancing Adult Compassion Resilience: A Toolkit for Schools developed by Wisconsin Initiative for Stigma Elimination, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and Rogers InHealth
Take Time for You: Self-Care Action Plans for Educators by Tina Boogren and a related Q&A on YouTube
An Edutopia blog on Five Social Emotional Learning Lessons for Adults

Scales Strategic Solutions hopes this field continues to grow and looks forward to finding ways we can contribute to this important work. Educators must receive what they need as professionals so not only our students succeed but our educators succeed.

Social- Emotional Learning Part 1: Holistic Educational Healing Post-Pandemic

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 00:00:14 GMT

Social-Emotional Learning Part 1: Holistic Educational Healing Post-Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned life upside down on every plane of being: mentally, physically, emotionally, academically, spiritually, medically, socially, and economically. Disparities that have long existed among marginalized and underrepresented people have become even more exacerbated along these lines. The worsening inequities have been highlighted by disrupted school schedules, technology challenges, fear of catching the disease, the loss of loved ones, social isolation, and grieving for the life that was. We need social and emotional learning now more than ever.

In this first of two posts, the concept of social and emotional learning is explained with some highlights of work in K-12 education on the topic.

What is the origin of social and emotional learning (SEL)?

SEL is an ancient concept with beginnings as old as ancient Greece. In one of his publications, Plato proposed a holistic offering of subjects such as reading, writing, math, science, and physical education balanced with the ‘soft’ skills like character, the arts, ethics, and moral judgment. “By maintaining a sound system of education and upbringing, you produce citizens of good character,” he explained.

Preparing young people to be productive, responsible, caring, and accountable are ancient goals that continue today. The big question now for modern school systems is: What’s the best way to do this? While this is a relatively recent and evolving focus of study and practice, it is the main question SEL tries to answer.

What is SEL?

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines social and emotional learning as “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”

Research from the Aspen Institute asserts that "the success of young people in school and beyond is inextricably linked to social and emotional development.” Social-emotional learning has been shown to positively impact economic mobility and mental health outcomes. Developing these skills in our students is an important part of meeting the needs of the whole child. While it is generally accepted that SEL is beneficial for children, it is equally important for the adults in their lives (teachers, parents, administrators, coaches, counselors, etc.) to be equipped with evidence-based instruction, professional development, and resources to complement what the children are learning.

SEL In Schools

In Each Child, Our Future, Ohio’s strategic plan for education, social-emotional learning is one of four equal learning domains supporting Ohio’s goal of preparing each student in Ohio for postsecondary life. Through a stakeholder-driven process, Ohio teachers, school counselors, and education personnel developed Ohio's Social and Emotional Learning Standards for grades kindergarten through 12 (K-12). The Ohio State Board of Education adopted the social-emotional learning standards in June 2019.

Resources for schools in Ohio and across the nation include:

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): https://casel.org/

Ohio Department of Education’s Social and Emotional Learning Resources: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Social-and-Emotional-Learning/Collaborative-for-Academic-Social-and-Emotional

The Center for Social-Emotional Learning Cincinnati, http://www.csel-cincinnati.org/

In the Scale Strategic Solutions May 2021 blog, we will focus on SEL resources for educator and school staff self-care and professional development.

Broadening Access: Hacking for Inclusion

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 01:46:30 GMT

Broadening Access: Hacking for Inclusion

By Calista H Smith

“Reimagine Work. Broaden Access. Strengthen Communities.” These were the themes for MIT’s 2021 Hack for Inclusion. Hackathons are an opportunity for programmers, project managers, subject matter experts, and other interested parties to come together for a short period of time, usually a day or weekend, to design a project. These events operate as competition-style design sprints to draw up solutions to real world problems.

I joined the virtual Hack for Inclusion and chose the challenge of “Building Anti-Biased Algorithms” sponsored by Liberty Mutual. It was my privilege to work with a great team of people that I had never met from England, the Philippines, and the US. We discussed the challenges in insurance and financial services in mitigating bias in algorithms and artificial intelligence. We came up with an app concept with a working title “TrustIt.” Such a fun and refreshing experience with creative minds who all brought something valuable to the team.

While we were addressing a complex equity and inclusion problem, we had the assets of a diverse and inclusive team that was equity minded. May we tackle all our problems in such fashion.

$1.44 Billion Impact of Black-Owned Businesses in Cincinnati

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 03:52:23 GMT

'Not Operating in a Bubble': The $1.44 billion regional impact of Black-owned businesses

The African American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky in partnership with the University of Cincinnati Economics Center conducted a study on the economic impact of Black-owned businesses. The region has benefited from $1.44 billion generated by local Black-owned businesses. Scale Strategic Solutions president, Calista H. Smith, was featured in an interview about the report on WLWT’s “Let’s Talk Cincy.” The conversation also discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “If you are a survivor as a Black business after COVID, you are not operating in a small bubble,” stated Smith. “You’re not only helping the Black community, but the community at large.”

Scale Strategic Solutions has survived and thrived since the onset of the pandemic, in part because of a good business foundation built on technical assistance from the African American Chamber of Commerce and other resource centers for small businesses.

Click the link below to watch the full WLWT interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_SsF9qVIj4

10 Guiding Principles for 10 Years

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 20:16:00 GMT

10 Guiding Principles for 10 Years
By. Calista H. Smith

Scale Strategic Solutions begins its 10th year of transforming information into action in 2021. When I started the business in 2011, it was simply a move from a closed door to an open door based on the skills and interests of one individual. It is now an organization with a team of employees and collaborators working on a common mission to support continuous improvement with clients in education, economic and workforce development, health, and social services.

Here are two inspirational stories offering 10 guiding principles for our 10th year and beyond.

Georgia Gilmore, Montgomery Bus Boycott activist and entrepreneur

During the Civil Rights Movement, Georgia Gilmore led the Club from Nowhere which sold meals and baked goods to fund the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Funds from the club helped fund the car pool system and other activities of the boycott. Gilmore agreed to coordinate the secret effort which made her vulnerable to domestic terrorism and persecution while shielding other volunteers in the club. She also lost her job as a cook at a local restaurant because she testified in defense of the national hero we celebrate this month, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the anti-boycotting trail against him. However, she was able to start her own catering company stemming from customers who supported the Club from Nowhere. Gilmore reminds us to:

1. Be Courageous: Despite risks and fears, be courageous in pursuing your vision and what is right.

2. Use What You Have: Appreciate what you have in skills, resources, and relationships. Leverage what you have, great or small, to be successful.

3. Meet Practical Needs: Understand the practical needs required to get things done. Don’t ignore essential, practical needs for yourself, your family, your business, and your community.

4. Prepare for the Long Haul: Results may be delayed or even elusive, and it may be unfair. However, you must stay focused on achieving the ultimate objective.

5. Speak Up: Everyone’s voice matters. Speak up respectfully while also listening to others. Aid others in making their voices heard.

John Scott, 2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game MVP

I recently heard the Radiolab The Punchline episode that shares the story of two podcasters who suggested the All-Star candidacy of John Scott , a hockey player with a minimal role on the ice, as jab at the NHL voting process. Scott won the fan vote, but the league tried very hard to stop his participation in the the All-Star game, including a cross-continental trade and demoting him to the minor leagues. However, John Scott not only played in the All-Start game but scored the winning goal and was named the game’s MVP.

6. Expect the Unexpected: Do not assume particular results or outcomes. Be ready for what comes your way.

7. Operate with Openness: Be open to participatory practices. If you ask for input, consider it sincerely.

8. Covet Not Control: Don’t desire control for control sake. Steward what is already in your control. Trying to manipulate the process may be futile.

9. Make It Clear: Be clear about your vision. Communicate clearly your intentions and their nuances.

10. Accept Opportunity with Grace: Meet opportunity, anticipated and unanticipated, with humility but don’t be afraid to pursue it if it aligns with your vision. Your best effort may be just what is needed.

As we enter this 10th year of business, Scale Strategic Solutions looks forward to putting these principles into practice.

Fill Your Sleigh: Buy Small, Buy Local

ess@scalestrategicsolutions.com — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 22:46:20 GMT

Fill Your Sleigh: Buy Small, Buy Local

This year there have been a lot of changes and hardships worldwide due to COVID-19. With states shutting down weeks on end due to COVID-19 cases increasing, businesses are continuing to feel the affects the pandemic has had on their sales. Small business owners have had it especially tough this year with these closures. Many small businesses are unfortunately having to close their doors. Scale Strategic Solutions prides itself on being a small, women owned minority business in Cincinnati. Through the pandemic Scale has been very thankful and fortunate to have had steady business throughout the year. With the holidays in our midst, think about shopping with and supporting small businesses. While holiday gift giving provides a special opportunity for purchases, we hope that people will continue the habit of buying small and local and supporting shops owned by women and black, indigenous, and people of color.

Here is a list of small businesses in Greater Cincinnati where you can do some holiday shopping this year:

Toys

• King Arthur’s Courts: 3040 Madison Rd. Cincinnati, OH

• Coolest Toys On Earth: 6840 Wooster Pike Cincinnati, OH & 314 Main St. Milford, OH

• Styled By Mama: 16 E 13th St, Cincinnati, OH

• The Toy Department: 6600 Dixie Hwy Unit Y

Food & Sweet Treats

• Bonbonerie: 2030 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH

• Brown Bear Bakery: 116 E 13th St, Cincinnati, OH

• Key’s Cheesecakes & Pies: https://keys-cheesecakes-and-pies.business.site/

• Sweets & Meats, LLC: 2249 Beechmont Ave UNIT B, Cincinnati, OH 45230

• Just Q’in: 975 E McMillan St. Cincinnati, OH

• Happy Chicks Bakery: 4035 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, OH

• Sweet Petite Desserts: 1426 Race St, Cincinnati, OH

• Mz Jade's Soul Food, 1105 Central,, Middletown, OH

• Triple Moon Coffee Co.,1100 Central., Middletown, OH

Clothing/Shoes

• BlaCk OWned Outerwear: 822 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH

• Sloane Boutique: 1216 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH

• GO(O)D Company Apparel: 1323 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH

• Idlewild Woman: 1230 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH

• Blush & Bubbly: 3184 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH

• Hutch Baby: 1209 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH

• Corporate: 2643 Erie Ave, Cincinnati, OH

• Rad OTR: 1315 Main St, Cincinnati, OH

Jewelry

• Little Mahatma: 1315 Main St, Cincinnati, OH

• Upper Eden: 1120 St Gregory St, Cincinnati, OH

• MAYA: 323 Ludlow Ave #1, Cincinnati, OH

• Richter and Phillips: 601 Main St, Cincinnati, OH

• Geraci Fine Jewelry: 9212 Colerain Ave, Cincinnati, OH

Gift Shop/Cards/Candles

• Toko Baru: 325 Ludlow Ave, Cincinnati, OH

• Mica 12/v: 1201 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH

• Cockerill: 2700 Erie Ave, Cincinnati, OH

• &Sundries: 2807 Woodburn Ave, Cincinnati, OH

• Paper Wings: 1207 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH

• Creative Candle, LLC: https://creativecandle.bigcartel.com/products

Many communities also have special buying and loyalty programs, especially for shops in the core of our city. Check these out in any season:

•Middletown Sip, Bite & Buy, http://www.downtownmiddletown.org/sbb

•Queen City Card, https://app.yiftee.com/gift-card/queen-city-card-cincinnati

Happy Holidays!

Pursuing Data Equity and Justice

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 21:30:33 GMT

Pursuing Data Equity and Justice

By Calista H. Smith

As a firm that transforms information into action, Scale Strategic Solutions is responsible for collecting and using information with integrity, fairness, and justice. This effort goes beyond intention to reflecting on our practice and embedding approaches to justice in our work. Societies all over the world are figuring out how to move further along the “arc of the moral universe as it bends towards justice,” to paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As our technology advances, we are now disabused of the notion of its neutrality since its artificial intelligence is built on the inequities, discrimination, and bias of our real collective experiences. Just look at what happens in algorithms in financial services and healthcare . The evolving literature on data justice--the relationship between big data, artificial intelligence, social justice, and decision-making---is critical to strategic decisions, capacity building, research and evaluation.

Reflecting on the American Evaluation Association’s AEA365 blog Decolonizing Evaluation Week this month, we must understand the different ways of knowing and shifting beyond colonial paradigms of understanding and valuing information. There are so many rich ways of comprehending our world to cultivate practical solutions. Being equity-minded, just, and inclusive is an ongoing effort requiring continuous improvement, hard work, and a commitment to growth. In the execution of our work, these are just three of many questions we pose in our Data Equity and Justice Framework:

1. Where do we need to be vigilant about using inclusive and just language?

Changing language may seem like a simple act but it requires conscious, consistent choices. For instance, we use the terms ‘allowlist’ and ‘denylist’ instead of ‘blacklist’ and ‘whitelist’ regarding technology permissions. The terms ‘whitelist’ and ‘blacklist’ have been so commonplace to talk about what emails or websites get through to users. We have become vigilant internally and with partnerships to use clearer, more accurate language that avoids perpetuation of negative and positive associations with color. In fact, terms like ‘allowlist’ and ‘denylist’ are more accurate for the intended use.

2. How do we maximize visibility to the original voices while maintaining privacy?

In the past, it may have been common to reference the data of a small group as ‘statistically insignificant.’ However, that approach heightens ignorance. We have committed to referencing small numbers in disaggregated studies as ‘n less than a number x’ so that we do not run the risk of disclosing identity, but we do not act if those groups do not exist. With qualitative data, we strive for ways to highlight the direct voice and quotes so that people speak for themselves and the evaluators are not always speaking for them. We are practicing data collection and engagement approaches that are participatory in nature.

3. How do we grow in awareness and knowledge?

We all have biases, and we all must hold ourselves and each other accountable to mitigating those biases. Confirmation bias is particularly threatening in our space as we may run the risk of interpreting new evidence as a confirmation of our own pre-existing beliefs. We have to grow in our knowledge of inclusive practices and strategies and of various cultures and human experiences. Our team is committed to learning. One of the resources we are starting to read is Research & Reconciliation: Unsettling Ways of Knowing through Indigenous Relationships by Wilson, Breen, and DuPré.

Our pursuit of data equity and justice is beyond a slogan and is parallel to many journeys to grow and excel. As we proceed on this journey, we look forward to learning from our participants and collaborators so systems and communities can become life and liberty enhancing for all. We are also beginning to share our approach and learning with others as they build their organizational capacity.

Roles in Democracy

ess@scalestrategicsolutions.com — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 16:23:34 GMT

Roles in Democracy

As a citizen some may feel as though your voice and opinions don’t matter, but they do. When looking throughout history, American citizens are the epicenter of change in many policies and laws we have today. With the upcoming election in November fast approaching, below are reminders of how you can influence policies, laws, and opinions in your state.

Be an informed voter: Research candidates at all levels. Visit their websites to see their platforms on a variety of issues, including issues of policing, criminal justice, education, housing, public health and employment. Consider non-partisan sources of information such as the League of Women Voters.
Vote at all levels of government: All levels of government have an impact, and citizens should vote in all elections in their community to shape the world around them. Take the justice system for example. While the US Congress may pass federal laws and guidelines on sentencing and prison systems, locally decisions are made about crime and punishment from elected county sheriffs to mayors and council members who hire police chiefs and officers.
Coalesce: Engage with organizations to produce a collective call to action on issues you care about.
Advocate for specific policies: As individuals or with a collective organization, write your representatives, participate in town halls, and attend or watch online public meetings of elected councils, commissions, and boards when they address what matters to you.
Follow the funds: Understand how different parts of the systems such as education, housing, and criminal justice are funded in your community and how fines and fees provide revenue in municipalities.
Serve jury duty: We all have a role to play in holding the system accountable. While there may be jury duty to decide guilt or innocence in a specific case, there are also grand jurors. Grand juries decide who gets indicted and on what charges. In Hamilton County, Ohio, grand jurors also do routine walk throughs of the county jail to identify issues or concerns.
Consider running for local offices: Learn more about the process and responsibilities for being an elected official. You can find some resources from City Council School, https://www.actiontankusa.org/steps or School Board School: https://www.schoolboardschool.org/

Using Evaluation Methods to Design Management Training

ess@scalestrategicsolutions.com — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 16:36:22 GMT

Using Evaluation Methods to Design Management Training

Scale Strategic Solutions has provided services in organizational development as well as program evaluation. We have found some interesting lessons and common practices between both of these areas. Here is a presentation we did at the 2019 American Evaluation Association Conference in Minneapolis. Take a look below!

Understanding Trauma in Conducting Evaluation: Insight from African American Experiences

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 18:49:53 GMT

Understanding Trauma in Conducting Evaluation: Insight from African American Experiences
Written By, Jennifer E. Williams, Ed.D.

The last decade has contributed greatly to the body of knowledge about the life-changing, pervasive and enduring impact of trauma on an individual who experiences or witnesses devastating events, injury or loss. The research highlights the increased risk of debilitating symptoms of trauma including mental, emotional, psychosomatic, socioeconomic issues. Trauma is often the result of an overwhelming amount of stress that exceeds one's ability to cope, or integrate the emotions involved with that experience. [1] Trauma may result from a single distressing experience or recurring events of being engulfed that can be precipitated in weeks, years, or even decades as the person struggles to cope with the immediate circumstances, eventually leading to serious, long-term negative consequences.

Because trauma differs between individuals, according to their subjective experiences, people will react to similar traumatic events differently. However, it is possible for some people to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being exposed to a major traumatic event. [3] This discrepancy in risk rate can be attributed to protective factors some individuals may have that enable them to cope with trauma; they are related to temperamental and environmental factors from among others. Some examples are resilience characteristics, and active seeking of help. [4]

If we accept this definition of trauma and its outcomes as reasonable or accurate, how much more of an impact might 400+ years of slavery with its inherent maltreatment, racism and inequity have on an entire race of people? Given such history, isn't it likely that many of the enslaved were severely traumatized? And did the trauma and the effects of such horrific abuse end with the abolition of slavery?

Emancipation was followed by over one hundred more years of institutionalized oppression through the enactment of practices such as Black Codes and Jim Crow laws, convict leasing, domestic terrorism and lynching. The violations continue, and when combined with the crimes of the past, they result in yet immeasurable injury. What do repeated traumas, endured generation after generation by an entire race of people produce? What impact have these ordeals had on African Americans today?

Dr. Joy DeGruy raised and answered these questions and more in her seminal work, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (2017) . With over thirty years of practical experience as a professional in the mental health field, Dr. DeGruy encourages African Americans and those who work with them, to view their attitudes, assumptions, and behaviors through the lens of history and so gain a greater understanding of how centuries of slavery and oppression have impacted people of African descent in America. The current protests regarding Black Lives Matter are but one example of the festering boil of institutionalized racism spontaneously bursting under the pressure of unmitigated neglect, disrespect and marginalization.

As evaluators, it is essential that we recognize elements of toxic systems in which we work and in which those we serve are often confined. The American Evaluation Association’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice were developed in recognition of the inherent challenges and often conflicting responsibilities that accompany monitoring and evaluation (M&E) work. Recognizing that there are no standard, or even easy answers to ethical challenges that arise, M&E and Ethics provides a framework for addressing these challenges by recognizing our responsibilities, highlighting ethical principles, and reflecting on and managing ethical concerns with stakeholders during the planning phase and throughout the project. On a general level, the domain of ethics deals with moral duty and obligation, involving actions that are subject to being judged as good or bad, right or wrong. While all of the ethical guidelines are applicable to Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS), at a minimum, evaluation professionals and their funders must adhere to the concepts of non-malfeasance: above all, do no harm and competence, meaning that Monitoring & Evaluation staff should hold the skills and cultural competencies required to conduct an M&E activity.

These skills and guidelines are not limited to evaluators but apply to all fields. How are you getting and maintaining the necessary competencies to ensure the service you provide does not re-traumatize stakeholders? Are you advocating for those who are most vulnerable to PTSS? What helps or hinders your integrating these values in your work? To what extent are you willing to speak truth to power?

Evaluating The Larger Strategy Behind Protesting Throughout History

ess@scalestrategicsolutions.com — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 21:35:20 GMT

Evaluating The Larger Strategy Behind Protesting Throughout History

As evaluators and capacity builders, it is important for us to understand the larger strategy encompassing protest to effectively study changes in policy and practice and support strategic improvements. Several organizations study and have organized frameworks around advocacy and policy, including the advocacy and policy change Composite Logic Model . Rallies and marches are identified as communications and outreach activities within the logic model. Protests are often in the form of rallies and marches, but protest may also come in the form of boycotts, public art , and occupation of public spaces. Protest is a part of the advocacy landscape that focuses on objecting to the current state of affairs and is a more prominent advocacy tactic for disenfranchised stakeholders. Well-resourced protest events and platforms may have strong inputs with advocacy infrastructure and message and strategy development in place before protest events occur. However, some protests emerge organically without advocacy planning and input and evolve over time by attracting more resources and refining messages and strategies. Below is our take on the key roles of protest in policy and advocacy change:

• The Palpable Problem : Protest is a means of making the problem, which may be ignored or underestimated, a palpable, obvious problem to the audience. The audience may be any combination of community members, policymakers, and decision-makers.

• Mass Movement : Protest aims to attract a critical mass of advocates around the problem through active participation. Protest may draw attention to the masses with published pieces, social media platforms and hashtags, rallies, marches, and other events. Protest is a participatory tactic that often aims for co-creation of communication with signs, chants, posts, etc. as compared to advocacy tactics that may be through formal media or public service announcements. Protest often happens in public physical or virtual spaces within the community.

• Changing Capital : Protests when effective put pressure on the distribution of capital in all of its forms. Because of its participatory nature, protest may be non-linear in its model for change and how to create capital for change. Protests can call for shifts in political capital with voter mobilization, policy making priorities, proposed legislation, and regulatory decisions. Protests can alter the social capital by creating community will and fortifying relationships among advocates; consistent protest may be used to shift the paradigms to see the current state as objectional. Pressure can also be put into economic systems through protests, ranging from boycotts to sponsorship choices, in addition to specific calls to action regarding allocation of funds to address the problem.

What’s your take on protest? What role does it play in bettering communities? What are the challenges of protesting as an advocacy tool? How should we study and evaluate protest?

Opioid Use Disorder and Bias

ess@scalestrategicsolutions.com — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 17:11:56 GMT

Opioid Use Disorder and Bias

Due to COVID-19, the talk around health disparities has entered the mainstream. National news has highlighted disproportionately high rates of mortality among African Americans with coronavirus in Louisiana, Michigan, and New York. Dr. Tony Armstrong, president of Ohio State Medical Association, addressed racial disparities and social determinants of health in Gov. Mike DeWine’s April 9 COVID-19 press conference ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btsFu33KvDM ).

The social determinants of health--the conditions in which people are born, grow, live and work –are influenced by: socio-economic conditions; education; neighborhood under-investments; underlying health conditions and health care; and social and community context. Looking at the social and community determinants, implicit and explicit biases are one of many things that can impact the context and cause disparities in health access, treatment, and outcomes.

Scale Strategic Solutions in partnership with The Eastledge Group is delivering a training, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, to address implicit and explicit bias toward people with Opioid Use Disorder. The American College of Physicians’ Annals of Internal Medicine recently highlighted “an epidemic within a pandemic” with the risks to millions of individuals with opioid use disorder, who are “already vulnerable and marginalized” whose access to health care delivery is compromised during COVID-19. ( https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/2764311/epidemic-midst-pandemic-opioid-use-disorder-covid-19 ) With the complex challenges and needs facing individuals with Opioid Use Disorder, removing barriers by minimizing bias will aid recovery.

Bias rears its head in many ways in how persons with Opioid Use Disorder or other behavioral health disorders are treated. These biases prove out in a variety of forms including but not limited to:

• Biased language used against individuals with substance use disorders, who may be referred to as “addicts”, “druggies”, “junkies”, or “substance abusers”.

• Bias against people with Opioid Use Disorder who are “criminalized”.

• Racial bias

• Socio-economic or class bias

• Secondary level characteristics such as education level, professional status, parenting status, region (Ohio major urban areas, suburban communities, rural, rural Appalachian), etc. and

• Social desirability bias

Our Bias Training Programs will cover all relevant forms of bias, including the following topics:

• What is bias—implicit and explicit

• Where and how does bias function

• Impact of bias on services and recovery for individuals with opioid use disorder

• How to discuss and mitigate implicit bias

During this pandemic of COVID-19 and considering interruptions in health care delivery, treatments, and support systems, there could be a rise in opioid drug use, and a resulting rise in bias directed towards this population. Our training will provide practitioners with skills to manage and ultimately reduce biased treatment decisions and outcomes.

The training will be customized for the following audiences: any physical or behavioral health provider and health providers with substance recovery experience. If you are a physical or behavioral health professional, you can attend the virtual training for free. Register for trainings with the information below:

Addressing Bias and Opioid Use Disorder

Dates: May 19, 26, or 28

June 4, 9, 16, 23, or 24

Time: 1-3:30 PM

Register at https://omhasbiasoud2020.eventbrite.com/?aff=newletter

Addressing Bias with Lived Experience of Opioid Use Disorder

Dates: May 20 or June 10

Time: 1-3:30 PM

Register at https://biaslivedexperienceoudspring2020.eventbrite.com/?aff=newletter

We have developed these trainings that we will begin virtually in hopes to decrease the implicit and explicit biases that people with Opioid Use Disorder and other behavioral health disorders face on a daily basis.

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 18:30:12 GMT

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect. Scale is evaluating the work of two Ohio regional prevention councils as they seek to give supports to parents and caregivers to prevent abuse and neglect. Understanding the importance of this work, Scale wants to raise awareness especially during the nationwide pandemic of COVID-19. The health crisis is causing many families to be isolated at home together, parents to become formal educators of their children, and for caregivers to experience blows to financial and physical wellness. In these circumstances, parenting skills and resources are being challenged.

In 2017, Ohio had 182,576 total referrals for child abuse and neglect. Of those, 83,750 reports were referred for investigation. There was a total of 73 deaths from child abuse and neglect in Ohio in 2017. With the rising anxiety and stress that families are under due to the health and economic impact of COVID-19, Scale wanted to highlight resources to help parents and caregivers in this unprecedented time. Below we have attached helpful links to resources that provide ways to deal with stress and anxiety by providing coping strategies for parents and family activities to do. There is also a link to an article from the Children’s Bureau about National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Children’s Bureau Article

https://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=205&sectionid=1&articleid=5301

Resources:

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/

https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/Coping-with-COVID-19-Anxiety/

Evaluator’s Work with Policymakers and the Legislative Decision-Making Process by Calista H. Smith

ess@scalestrategicsolutions.com — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 17:29:49 GMT

Evaluator’s Work with Policymakers and the Legislative Decision-Making Process
by Calista H. Smith

With Ohio’s Election Day on March 17th, it is a good reminder of the roles we all play in our democracy and public policy process. Below are some lessons we at Scale learned as evaluators working with policy makers. We initially shared some of these thoughts as a contributor to the American Evaluation Association AEA365blog in 2017 .

Lessons Learned:

• Legislative processes may influence your evaluation design and timeline. Publicly sponsored projects may have reporting deadlines written into legislation or their funding streams may be subject to annual budgeting reviews. Projects sponsored by private philanthropy may also be influenced by the legislative cycle as findings may be helpful to craft or change public policy.

• Policymakers may get data and information from a variety of sources. It was common for a policymaker to have visited a program site or talked extensively with program champions. Program critics may also be vocal to policymakers. External criticism may be based on program perceptions (rooted in experiences or in ideology), or a sense of competition for resources. Your evaluation data will need to be clear and easily accessible to cut through what may be noise.

• You may need various reports of the same analysis. For one evaluation, we produced a one pager of highlights for quick reference by high level administrators and officials, a 6-page summary of lessons to insert in a public annual report, and a full technical report with more detailed explanation of methodology and data for staffers and stakeholders.

Suggestions for Evaluators in Public Policy:

• Spend time refining research questions related to what legislative decision-makers want to or should know regarding the project and related policies.

• Regardless of the scope of your program evaluation, identify what policies and funding streams impact the program. This understanding helps you to gain clarity on who the stakeholders are and their interests and constraints.

• In your evaluation design, consider legislative timelines. Think about what data you may be able to reasonably collect, analyze, and report to provide insights to legislators in line with the legislative decision-making process.

• Encourage your client to think independently from your evaluation about courses of productive action they may take if findings are less favorable than expected. Consider building in extra review time for analysis so that the client can process data and determine how to make lessons actionable or identify questions that may emerge from policymakers about the results or the evaluation approach.

Resources:

• The National Conference of State Legislators has a Program Evaluation Society for its state policy staff members. It is helpful to see what materials policy staff members may reference when they would like to implement or review an evaluation.

• On the federal level, the National Data Coalition has been keeping track of efforts related to the Foundation for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act which has promoted increased use of research and evaluation in policymaking.

• You may map out stakeholder interests, including policymaker’s interest, in your evaluations in a” Power/interest matrix .”

"With and For The People": Participatory Evaluation

ess@scalestrategicsolutions.com — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 20:05:59 GMT

"With and For The People": Participatory Evaluation

Sometimes, evaluation can feel like something “done to” us. A power that comes over our programs and our work to judge and change us. Our Scale Strategic Solutions team tries to avoid evaluation as something “done to” organizations and programs and champions doing evaluation “with and for” organizations and programs. There are several ways to execute participatory evaluation, one technique in particular that we have started to borrow in clinical research settings is the community engagement studio.

The Community Engagement Studio is one of the unique services developed by The Meharry-Vanderbilt Community Engaged Research Core. It was developed to help researchers interested in working directly with patients and other community stakeholders do so in a way that is culturally sensitive and in keeping with community priorities, values, and needs. The CE Studio creates a framework for stakeholders to provide immediate feedback to the researcher on specific areas of concern before the research project is implemented.

The Community Engagement Studio will allow the community members to learn about the research that we are doing in their community and how it will directly benefit them, their families, and community. The engagement of the community members in the CE Studio also contributes to the development and execution of the program in a continuous learning cycle. We in turn as researchers gain an increased understanding of how to be culturally sensitive to the community, how the community works together, and how to engage its members.

What experiences have you had shaping an evaluation as a program participant or community member? If you are an evaluator, what participatory approaches do you use? Share with us on Twitter @Scale_Strategic or our LinkedIn Scale Strategic Solutions .

Prepared for Success in Washington County

ess@scalestrategicsolutions.com — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 13:43:59 GMT

Prepared for Success in Washington County

Happy Holidays: Epiphanies in Evaluation and Organizational Development

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 13:29:26 GMT

Happy Holidays: Epiphanies in Evaluation and Organizational Development

Our journey as a firm providing evaluation and organizational development services at times may sound like the trek of the three wise men in the Christmas story. Here’s how:

Epiphany: Christian traditions celebrate the story of the wise men as the Epiphany, a revelation about Jesus, the faith’s awaited Messiah. In evaluation, Scale Strategic Solutions is often searching for realizations and discoveries in our studies. While the insights may seem to emerge suddenly, epiphanies in evaluation are a product of a complex journey of data collection and analysis. In training for clients, there is a process of organizational strategy, planning, and training that often culminates in development sessions where participants have small epiphanies about new skills they can apply or different approaches to improve their work.

Star of Wonder: In the story of the wise men, they see an extraordinarily bright star in the sky that they follow to find evidence of the Christmas birth. Evaluators also follow curious evidence, seeking answers to our evaluation questions. Scale Strategic Solutions will seek more evidence to explain the phenomenon of the ‘star’ that stands out from all the other stars in the data. In organizational development, we also address glaring needs or bright opportunities by developing strategy and training appropriately.

Bearing Gifts: When the wise men arrived to find Jesus, they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In evaluation, particularly formative or development evaluations, we want to provide valuable ‘gifts’ to the clients and programs when we reach the final stage of producing findings. Scale Strategic Solutions wants to provide information clients can use as our gifts, such as summaries for the field, recommendations, and evidence-based next steps. Similarly, in training services, we are providing knowledge, tools, and skills to help organizations and trainees carry out what they learned.

Scale Strategic Solutions wishes you a wonderful and wise journey through the new year. Happy Holidays!

Thankful for Teacher Leadership

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 21:09:57 GMT

Thankful for Teacher Leadership

The study also identified ways districts live out the five components of the Ohio Teacher Leadership Framework: Fostering Collaborative Culture; Advancing Instruction and Student Learning; Driving Initiatives; Practicing Equity and Ethics; Building Relationships and Partnerships. The following elements were demonstrated among teacher leaders in the districts we studied:

Putting student success first
Showing people that they care about them as an individual
Facilitating an organized process to execute work beyond a teacher’s individual classroom.
Sharing resources with fellow teachers
Utilizing data to advance learning
Elevating the voice and expertise of others
Continuing their own professional development

We are thankful for the lessons we have learned from teacher leaders, not just in this project but also in the many ways we have studied education and in our personal experiences. For more resources on teacher leadership, click the links below:

Complete to Compete Ohio Initative

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 14:04:48 GMT

Complete to Compete Ohio Initiative

This year we partnered with Philanthropy Ohio to help advance the Complete to Compete Ohio initiative.

By 2020, 64% of jobs in Ohio will require some post-secondary credential. Just four out of 10 Ohioans currently have the knowledge, skills and credentials needed to fill the majority of high skill, in demand jobs today and in the future. This workforce “gap” has created an urgent need to increase the number and percentage of Ohioans with a postsecondary degree, certificate or other credential of value in the marketplace.

Scale then partnered with Philanthropy Ohio and the Ohio Attainment Steering Committee to plan and implement social media strategies and regional meetings across Ohio to discuss these topics, highlight practices that are working, and help communities take the next step. Some of the strategies that Complete to Compete Ohio and its partners are concentrating on is:

Giving K-12 students a head start on earning a post-secondary degree or other post-secondary credential, reducing the time and cost of earning a degree or certificate.
Identify pathways for adult nontraditional students to return to school and receive credentials.
Strengthen efforts to prioritize and incentivize positive outcomes
Help traditional and non-traditional students be successful in not only going to college, but also completing college.

Scale Strategic Solutions featured on WCPO

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 15:44:12 GMT

The African American Chamber Moves Its Headquarters

https://www.wcpo.com/money/local-business-news/african-american-chamber-moves-headquarters-to-better-support-small-businesses

Click the link above and watch our President/CEO Calista Smith give an interview with WCPO about her start in opening a small business and how the African American Chamber has helped her grow her business into what it is today.

The African American Chamber celebrated the grand opening of their new headquarters in Walnut Hills on the 18th of September. The African American Chamber has been the voice of black business for years. President and CEO Eric Kearney said in his interview with WCPO that, "We want to see people succeed....The chamber works to close the “knowledge gap” that comes with opening a small business." The new headquarters is equipped with several large conference rooms, a kitchenette, an outdoor patio that can serve as a meeting space and a Black Business Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to the African American Chamber on their new headquarters! Scale Strategic Solutions appreciates their continuous support of our business.

"Do Something" Addressing America's Gun Violence

ess@scalestrategicsolutions.com — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 15:07:09 GMT

"Do Something" Addressing Americas Gun Violence

Erica Smith / September 10, 2019

I write this piece after mornings of crying realizing that another young man I knew was gunned down in the streets, after hearing my mother describe the beautiful body of a woman laying in a casket who was a victim of the Dayton massacre, after listening to one of our associates share that she previously worked with the members of a project team shot by a random gunmen in a downtown Cincinnati office building as they were headed to a meeting, after many nights of sending my husband off to protect and serve. I write this as my hometown says, “Do Something!”.

The Scale Strategic Solutions staff agreed we needed to do something to address gun violence not just as individuals but as a firm that helps organizations and systems to better serve their communities and make a difference in people’s lives. We have provided organizational development and evaluation services in public health, and gun violence is a public health priority. As a start, we wanted to highlight resources that can help guide policy development to prevent and reduce gun violence.

In 2018, the Rand Corporation synthesized thousands of studies on gun policies across the US. While there are few definitive conclusions (in part because many policy impacts have not been rigorously studied), some policies have been identified as seeing promising results. Moderate to strong evidence supports that there is reduction in injury and death when laws are implemented on

o Child access and safe gun storage,

o Background checks,

o Restricted purchase or possession by individuals with history of mental illness

In light of the moderate evidence of restricting purchase or possession by individuals with a history of mental illness, we must not paint with too broad of a brush. According to the American Psychiatric Association, mass shootings by people with serious mental illness only represent 1% of all gun homicides. When looking at mental illness and violence, a majority of mental disorders are not associated with violent behaviors. Only 3%-5% of violent acts can be attributed to people with serious mental illness. When considering serious mental illness which impair major life activities (e.g.bi-polar, schizophrenia and depression), studies show that the attributed risk of violence for people with serious mental disorders remains low, at just 4%. Most mass shooters show symptoms of mental illness but research shows that only a quarter have been diagnosed with mental illness. Michelle Galietta, a forensic psychologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, said in an interview with PBS that “You can be impulsive and angry- and those traits can be separate from having any disorder". In a report analysis of 235 mass shootings, only 22% (51 individuals) could be considered mentally ill. Policies with prohibitions for individuals with mental illness should be evidence-based as to have the appropriate scope of qualifying criteria and to lead to the desired outcomes of reducing violence. We do not want to exacerbate the stigma and bias associated with mental health disorders or to discourage individuals from seeking mental and behavioral health supports with policies that have cast too wide of a net with prohibitions.

• Say something if you hear something: Amidst the tragedies that comes to pass, there are countless incidences of where violence was avoided and lives were saved because someone intervened in an appropriate way by alerting authorities or trained intervention teams. It is also important the communities and law enforcement communicate and share information to solve crimes.

• Practice gun safety: If you lawfully own a gun, practice gun safety in securing, storing, and handling your gun. Don’t leave guns unsecured in your home, car, or other places you frequent where children may get a hold of it or criminals may steal your firearm.

• Support victims and victims’ families over the long-term: Consider what concrete and emotional supports you can give to victims and their families not just when the tragedy occurs but for months and years. Think about ways we can structure trauma-informed supports in our most vulnerable communities.

• Mentor: Mentoring programs for youth, especially those at-risk of violence, are effective. Being a mentor can make a difference.

• Treat each other with respect and love: Wherever we are present in our communities and in social media, we need to act with respect and love. One of our values at Scale Strategic Solutions is Philia Love. We believe that acting with respect and love will cultivate a climate of peace in our homes, workplaces, and communities.

A New Beginning as Scale Strategic Solutions

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 15:59:01 GMT

A New Beginning as Scale Strategic Solutions

Published 8/12/19

When reflecting on what we have done and where we are going, 2019 was a time of change for C H Smith & Associates. We were ready to climb new heights and take new measures. It was time to Scale.

Our firm was ready for a new identity that was a greater reflection of who we are and what we do. In one of our client surveys, this comment emerged, “I feel that C H Smith & Associates built capacity within me and my team to continue and scale the work…” This comment embodied what our brand is all about.

Through our strategic planning we help our clients find solutions that will help them to scale their work and execute their visions. Wanting to capture this mission we chose the name Scale Strategic Solutions.

Doing business as Scale Strategic Solutions, we will continue to:

Conduct program evaluations, using various scales to measure and communicate progress and opportunity.

Gather insights and process information and ideas to offer strategic solutions.

Provide project management and take ideas to scale.

Facilitate strategic planning and stakeholder engagement.

Organize collaborative efforts to execute the work.

Scale skills within teams to maximize performance through training or organizational development.

Scale Strategic So lutions is a name that speaks to all the facets of our work. In tandem with this change, we have move d our office suite to Kemper Pond Office Park in Springdale, Ohio. Reach out to us if you would like to learn more about the new Scale Strategic Solutions.

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