What is a community report card?
___A community report card is a tool for reporting progress – or lack of progress – toward a community goal
___A community report card can serve to document and direct the progress toward that goal
___A community report card only brings a message. The people who issue and receive it must be the actual agents of change
Why might you create a community report card?
___People understand it
___Selection of a few key issues or categories helps focus attention for problem solving
___Report cards effectively communicate a general message, yet allow for more specific levels of detail
You might create a community report card:
___To communicate the facts of a situation – to your own group or a wider audience
___To interpret the facts
___To raise awareness of an issue in the general public or more specific audiences
___To define goals
___To prompt action
___To influence policy
___To help make a case for a new initiative
___To be accountable to those you serve
___To hold others accountable
What are the common elements of community report card?
___A statement of purpose, possibly with a call to action
___The report card itself
___Explanations of chosen indicators and benchmarks
___An objective measuring system that can show progress toward stated
How do you create a community report card?
___Decide what your purpose is in producing a report card. Form a working group to determine what you want to communicate, to whom, and for what reason
___Set a timeline for your project that relates to your goals
___Determine the essential actors and actions
___Identify indicators related to your goals
___Identify benchmarks for each indicator that are meaningful and measurable
___Determine your grading scale and system
___Compile the data for your indicators and benchmarks, then translate into a grade based on your predetermined system
___Produce the report card (print and/or electronic)
How do you use a community report card?
___Publicize and distribute the report card
___Tell people what they can do
___Continue to call attention to the important grades and the actions you want them to prompt
___Update the report card