Swearer Center for Public Service

Data and Evaluation Partnerships

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Data and Evaluation Partnerships

The Community-Engaged Data & Evaluation Collaborative (CEDEC) leverages Brown University’s resources to address data, evaluation and research priorities identified and valued by community organizations, nonprofits and public agencies in Rhode Island.

About CEDEC

The Community-Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative (CEDEC) was created in response to priorities identified by local community partners, many of whom expressed a need for support with data, evaluation and impact measurement.

CEDEC connects community organizations with Brown University faculty, staff and students through coursework, fellowships, research programs and other forms of technical assistance. These partnerships help organizations strengthen their capacity to use data for decision-making, storytelling and evaluation while providing Brown community members with meaningful, real-world learning and research opportunities.

By responding to community priorities and fostering collaboration across Brown and beyond, CEDEC advances the goals of Brown’s Community Engagement Agenda and supports collective impact throughout Rhode Island.

70+

community partners

190+

completed projects

95%

of partners report positive organizational impact

Collaboration Across the University

CEDEC is an initiative of the Swearer Center bringing together partners from across Brown University that share a commitment to public impact research and experiential learning, including:

Each campus partner brings its own distinctive and existing resources, including undergraduate- and graduate-level course-based projects, practica, capstones, and fellowships, as well as faculty and staff research expertise. These resources vary in availability throughout the 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, as CEDEC can connect a given community partner to multiple campus resources across time.

While these units form CEDEC’s core, we also leverage resources from other units and across campus, depending on our community partners’ priorities. To date, students, staff and faculty engaged with CEDEC have represented more than 30 academic programs.

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 fill out this student interest form.
  • 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

Swearer Center

Trees, Heat and Human Health

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.
Read Article

Contact

cedec@brown.edu