Swearer Center for Public Service
Data and Evaluation Partnerships
About CEDEC
CEDEC was born out of our community partners’ interest. When meeting with Swearer Center staff or providing input for the Center’s strategic planning, many local partners identified data and evaluation as a priority or opportunity for collaboration.
Many community partners already collect, analyze and tell stories with data. They recognize the importance of evaluating their work’s impact, processes and outcomes, making data-informed decisions and increasing access to the information their communities prioritize. Through collaboration and coordination that boosts personnel and technical capacities, they may be able to realize their data’s potential more effectively.
CEDEC matches the priorities of community partners with Brown University faculty, staff and students through coursework, fellowships, research programs and other forms of technical support. Undertaking data and evaluation projects with community partners is mutually beneficial because it both advances those partners’ goals and provides Brown University faculty, staff and students with meaningful, real-world learning and research opportunities. So far, we have connected over 40 Rhode Island community partners with Brown’s resources to advance their data and evaluation priorities.
Collaboration Across the University
CEDEC is an initiative of the Swearer Center bringing together partners from across Brown University, including:
Each campus partner brings its own distinctive and existing resources, including course-based projects, practica, capstones, experiential learning opportunities and faculty and staff research expertise. These resources vary in availability throughout the school year and in the potential fit to match with a community priority. That is why the collaborative aspect of our work is so important—each campus partner can step in when and where are most appropriate. This collaboration also bolsters partnership sustainability since CEDEC can connect a given community partner to multiple campus resources across time. While these units form CEDEC’s core, we also leverage resources across other units and areas of campus, depending on our community partners’ priorities.
Ways to Engage
Getting Involved
- Are you a community organization, nonprofit or public agency interested in support around a data or evaluation project? We encourage you either to fill out this Community Partnership Interest Form or to email cedec@brown.edu to schedule a time to talk. Based on your goals, project idea and timeline, we can help determine which CEDEC resource(s) might be best able to work with you.
- Are you a student interested in working on a community-identified data or evaluation project? We would be happy to connect you with one of our institutional partners or a community partner with an open project. Please email cedec@brown.edu with initial information on your skills and goals.
- Are you a faculty or staff member interested in engaging students with partners’ projects – or already working on a collaborative project yourself? We want to hear from you. Please share your experience or interests by either filling out this Campus-Community Engagement Form or emailing cedec@brown.edu.
Local Resources and Examples Created Through CEDEC
CEDEC News
In Central Providence, community change isn’t just a vision—it’s being measured, mapped and mobilized.
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In Providence, disparities in tree cover across neighborhoods have serious implications for health and environmental equity, with some areas left more vulnerable to extreme heat and its effects.
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The Community-Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative connects Rhode Island organizations with Brown faculty, students and staff for mutually beneficial partnerships.
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Contact
cedec@brown.edu