This website remains available as a historical record of materials developed during the December 2021–January 2026 Promise Neighborhoods technical assistance contract. Please note that this site is no longer actively updated. For the most current information, visit the U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhoods (PN) webpage.

Results by Term: Data Management Systems

Continually Improving Promise Neighborhoods: The Role of Case Management Data

Author: Mary Bogle, Sarah Gillespie, Christopher Hayes | Year of Publication: 2015

This report summarizes how to review case management data in the context of a Promise Neighborhood’s strategy, particularly its theory of change and results framework. Although written based on experience gained working with Promise Neighborhoods, the guidance can be adapted to similar place-based and comprehensive change efforts.

Supporting Place-Based Initiatives: Data-Driven Promise in the District of Columbia

Author: Leah Hendey, G. Thomas Kingsley | Year of Publication: 2015

NeighborhoodInfo DC supports the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI) and is a partner in the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, a peer-learning network operated by the Urban Institute. To inform its planning efforts, DCPNI used the data NeighborhoodInfo DC staff had compiled and analyzed. NeighborhoodInfo DC participated in working groups and shared data on crime, education, and early childhood that highlighted important issues and drove the formation of program strategies.

Building Infrastructure to Support Cross Sector Integration in Early Childhood Work

Author: PolicyLink | Year of Publication: 2014

This webinar, hosted by the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink in partnership with ZERO TO THREE, discusses how Hayward Promise Neighborhood and other communities are building cohesive systems that coordinate and align services to ensure all children enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school.

Who Cares About Data?

Author: Sarah Gillespie | Year of Publication: 2014

This blog post discusses how data-driven programs and communities are better equipped to work toward solutions that provide results to their communities. The blog draws on the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative's work on chronic absenteeism as an example.

U-Turn Now: A GPS for Neighborhood Change

Author: Sarah Gillespie | Year of Publication: 2014

This blog post discusses the necessity of a rigorous performance measurement process, focusing on how performance measurement can provide the data necessary to correct a program that is off-track.

Creating the Foundation to Accelerate Results for Black Males

Author: Promise Neighborhoods Institute | Year of Publication: 2013

This document is Part I of a series of papers developed to help communities promote Black male achievement in their neighborhoods. Part I provides a results-based framework for Promise Neighborhoods to systematically evaluate and respond to the particular needs of Black male children in the community. Subsequent papers will offer programmatic and policy solutions that Promise Neighborhoods can employ within this framework to sustain and enhance their impact on this population.

Measuring the Promise of Promise Neighborhoods

Author: Lionel Foster | Year of Publication: 2013

This interview with the Urban Institute's Peter Tatian follows the release of the guidance document "Measuring Performance." Peter discusses the challenges in quantifying the impact of a long-term, multifaceted program. 

Promise Neighborhoods Restricted-Use Data Files: Technical Specification and Requirements

Author: Urban Institute | Year of Publication: 2013

The Promise Neighborhoods restricted-use data files (RUDF) will contain individual-level and summary data on Promise Neighborhoods programs and participants. The Urban Institute will create the RUDF for the U.S. Department of Education from data collected by Promise Neighborhoods implementation grantees through surveys, case management systems, and administrative sources. Grantees collected the last required RUDF data in 2016.

Measuring Performance: A Guidance Document for Promise Neighborhoods on Collecting Data and Reporting Results: FY 2013 Edition

Author: Urban Institute | Year of Publication: 2013

This guidance document is designed to provide clarity on the U.S. Department of Education’s required Government Performance and Results Act indicators (guidance for grantees awarded in 2016 or earlier). Promise Neighborhoods implementation grantees must report on these measures as one of the requirements of their federal funding. This document also recommends data collection strategies, sources, and methods for the Promise Neighborhoods community at large, including the collection and tracking of demographic, family, and service delivery characteristics.

Successful Research Collaborations: Rules of Engagement For Community-Based Organizations

Author: Harlem Children's Zone | Year of Publication: 2012

Community-based organizations (CBOs) are frequently asked to provide evidence of their organizational effectiveness. Both private and public funders increasingly want proof their dollars are producing the desired outcomes. As a result, many non-profits and CBOs have embraced a data-driven approach and found it has broader uses: As they begin to understand “what works,” they save time and money by choosing or keeping only the most effective and rigorously evaluated strategies that produce the strongest outcomes.