What is a place-based partnership?

Working together, communities have the power to create transformative outcomes for children, youth and families. PlaceBasedpartnerships.org provides the right tools for them to do it.

Place-based partnerships (PBPs) are collaborative networks of people and organizations in specific geographies who refuse to accept that a zip code pre-determines a family’s economic mobility.

Rather than focusing on single issues in isolation, PBPs work across sectors to drive change — because health, education, workforce and socio-economic outcomes are interconnected. With residents at their center and local leaders at their helm, PBPs create change you can measure, from cradle to career.

Effective place-based partnerships are driven by talent and use data and technology that drive breakthrough results, from a child’s first steps to a young adult’s first job.

5 Elements of PBPs

Place-based partnerships all share the same five core elements to drive their results.

1. Cross-sector, long-term, resident-centered partnership 
in a defined geography

Clear geographic scope with documented accountability and
partnership structures
Named and updated priorities
Defined and documented roles for both individual and collective action

2. Effective ongoing use of data

Agree on a core set of measurable outcomes
Report on progress toward timebound goals (overall and
disaggregated)
Use data as a flashlight, not a hammer, to continuously improve
programs and policies

3. Trusted coordinating entity (a backbone or community quarterback organization)

Expert coordination among partners at the regional and/or
neighborhood levels
Endorsed and respected by community leaders and resident
Adequate capacity to deliver

4. Improve or change systems and programs to maximize impact

Invest new and existing public and private dollars to sustain and scale what works
Identify root causes with residents and other experts, and change systems accordingly

5. Quality services and supports along the entire cradle-to-career continuum

Use tools to understand what children and families need and how
those needs are (or are not) being met
Ensure seamless handoffs to high quality services and supports over
the long-term

Outcomes of cradle-to-career PBPs

We know PBPs are working when there are shifts in outcomes along the cradle-to-career continuum that create a path to economic mobility.

Kindergarten Readiness

Children who come to kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to be good readers in third grade.

Early Grade Reading

Reading well in third grade is an important predictor of success in school.

Middle School Math

Students that do well in Algebra are more likely to succeed in college.

High School Graduation

High school graduation is a prerequisite for attending college or earning a credential.

Postsecondary Enrollment

Postsecondary Completion

Postsecondary enrollment and completion leads to better employment prospects and more earning power.

Employment

Outcomes of
cradle-to-career PBPs

We know PBPs are working when there are shifts in outcomes along the cradle-to-career continuum that creates a path to economic mobility.

Kindergarten Readiness

Children who come to kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to be good readers in third grade.

Early Grade Reading

Reading well in third grade is an important predictor of success in school.

Middle School Math

Students that do well in Algebra are more likely to succeed in colleege.

High School Graduation

High school graduation is a prerequisite for attending college or earning a credential.

Postsecondary Enrollment

Postsecondary Completion

Postsecondary enrollment and completion leads to better employment prospects and more earning power.

Employment

Social Environment
and Political Capital

Supportive and protective personal relationships and networks

Built Evironment

Access to reliable housing,
amenities, and transportation

Public Systems
and Infrastructure

Government infrastructure exists on all levels to address market failures and gaps towards economic mobility

*The Comprehensive Framework that this information derives from was developed by the Social Genome Project, a partnership between  the Brookings Center on Children and Families, the Urban Institute, and Child Trends, and is supported by multiple studies.

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*The Comprehensive Framework that this information derives from was developed by the Social Genome Project, a partnership between the Brookings Center on Children and Families, the Urban Institute, and Child Trends, and is supported by multiple studies.

Outcomes of place-based partnerships

Kindergarten Readiness

Preschool Enrollment
Parental engagement/education levels
Access to quality programming

Early Grade Reading Proficiency

School Attendance
Behavioral incidents
Access to quality enrichment programs (ex. tutoring)
Sense of belonging

Middle Grade Math Proficiency

School attendance
Behavioral incidents
Access to quality enrichment prgrams (ex. tutoring)
Sense of belonging

High School Graduation Rates

School Attendance
Behavioral incidents
Access to quality enrichment programs (ex. tutoring)
Sense of belonging

Postsecondary enrollment

Access to financial aid
Access to advising
Postsec Credit completion in HS

Postsecondary completion

Credit accumulation
Access to culturally relevant support
Sustained financial aid supports

Employment/job placement rates

Living wage jobs
Access to mentorships/internships/apprenticeships

Place-based partnerships drive measurable outcomes

Explore these additional EdRedesign resources and case studies that demonstrate the power of PBPs.

EdRedesign / Harvard Graduate School of Education logos

The EdRedesign Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education provides catalytic support to the cradle-to-career place-based partnership field to drive systems-level change and open personalized pathways to opportunity so that all children, youth, and families can thrive. EdRedesign pairs two key strategies—cross-sector place-based partnerships and personalized, relationship-based supports—to drive transformational, systems-level change that serves the needs, talents, and aspirations of individual children and youth and their families. EdRedesign’s work focuses on talent development, actionable research, and movement building. Learn more at www.edredesign.org.