Dive Brief:

• Researchers at Columbia University’s Teachers College were awarded a $799,000 grant to study the effectiveness of “collective impact” — which is when government, non-profit, education, and business sectors come together to resolve issues they would not be able to conquer alone. 

• The study will focus on Buffalo and two other mid-sized cities, evaluating how their community groups are working together to tackle social and educational issues.

• The Teachers College will write two public reports on their findings: one in Fall 2015 and one in early 2017.  

Dive Insight:

As the old adage goes, it takes a village to raise a child. In our increasingly collaborative world, multi-sector projects have increased in popularity — specifically in the realm of education and reform. High dropout rates, childhood obesity, limited youth employment opportunities, and gang violence are just a few of the issues, which touch on education, but have impacts in other arenas as well. 

While the collating of resources, funding, and brain-power has increased in popularity, the research will be able to tell us just how effective this collaborative approach is. Hopefully, the Teacher’s College will not just inform us on the value of such mingling of minds, but also give us some insight into certain methods or groupings that are really working well.