In January 2014, the Annie E. Casey Foundation asked The Institute for Innovation & Implementation at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and the Center for Innovative Practices at Case Western Reserve University to establish and facilitate a learning community comprised of select Centers of Excellence (COEs), national implementation experts, and federal, state, and local policymakers.

The primary focus of this learning community was to better understand how and why COEs have been established, to develop a common definition of a COE, to identify the core functions of a COE, and to outline the key decision points when developing a COE.

This COE learning community also provided critical information on available pathways and necessary conditions to initiate COE development, financing strategies for start-up and sustainment of COEs, and strategies to maintain the usefulness and effectiveness of COEs as they pursue creating effective system development on behalf of state and local governments.

Funding to support this COE Learning Community, including its March 2014 meeting and the development of this document, was provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

http://www.aecf.org/blog/new-paper-examines-role-of-centers-of-excellence-in-promoting-systems-reform/

Two participants in the child and family evidence based practice consortium leadership group, Jen Mettrick and Patrick Kanary, were co-authors