Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities: A Systems Approach

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Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities A
Systems Approach

• 2005 Kids Count Conference
• Debra Delgado
• Senior Associate

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• The first 43 years were the hardest
• Jovita Anguiano

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Discussion Topics

• Provide brief overview of SSRs discussion about
  eliminating racial and ethnic disparities
• Share emerging framework for organizing our
  investment strategies and
• Forecast next steps to invite feedback and
  guidance.

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System and Service Reform

• Initiatives include
• Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative
• Family-to-Family
• Plain Talk
• Childrens Mental Health Initiative
• School 2 Career/Jim Casey Youth Opportunity
  Initiative

• System Reform Portfolios include
• Education
• Public Health
• Income Security
• School Readiness

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Data is the Analytical and Strategic Intersection
Within SSR and Across the Foundation

• For example
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities
• 34 of African American children and 30 of
  Latino children live in poverty compared with 14
  of white counterparts.
• Only about ½ of African American and Latino youth
  graduate from high school.
• African American teen girls are 2x as likely as
  white counterparts to have a child. Latina girls
  are more than 3x as likely.
• Disproportionate representation
• African American children are 15 of the child
  population but 37 of children in foster care.
• Young people of color represent only about 35 of
  the youth population but 35 of the nations
  juvenile population.

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Operational Assumptions Guiding Internal
Discussions

• History Counts The legacy of slavery has 21st
  century implications.
• Place Matters- Children of color are more likely
  to grow up in tough environments.
• Racial bias is real Discriminatory policies and
  stereotypes play out in the day-to-day reality of
  too many of our families.
• Policies can and do make a difference In
  positive and negative ways (e.g. zero-tolerance
  policies)

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Translating Assumptions into Action

• The work doesnt begin or end with a discussion
  about racial/ethnic disparities. Existing efforts
  to convert dialogue into concrete results include
  efforts to

• Measure disparities
• Improve Practice
• Increase Knowledge

• Improve Policies and
• Build Constituencies.

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Data and Measurement Issues

• Use data. Determine specific and useful outcomes
  and find the best way to measure them. The focus
  should help us shift the analysis away from
  individual behavior to broader institutional and
  social issues.
• Dig deep. Resist the urge to jump to
  conclusions. For example, STD rates amongst
  African American teens. Is it an artifact of
  where poor teens go for services.
• Make data collection routine. Race is a
  sensitive topics, people often feel defensive or
  try to avoid it. From a funders perspective, we
  feel its important to give EXPLICIT directions
  about the need to monitor and address
  disparities.
• Aim high. The gap analogy can sometimes lead to
  misguided conclusions about equalization (e.g.
  lock up more white youths). Acknowledge
  disparities but simultaneously set higher goals.
  

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Improve Practice

• 4-prong approach
• Promote evidence-based practices that explicitly
  address racial/ethnic dimensions
• Provide skill-building tools to transfer
  knowledge to a key audiences
• Invest in diversity among grantees, TA providers,
  messengers, etc.
• Build institutions by investing in newer, smaller
  organizations staffed by people of color.

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Increase Knowledge

• Fund research on disparities
• Fund research on solutions.
• Integrate racial and ethnic angles.
• Spread the word.
• Diversify the research community.

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Build Constituencies

• Engage people of color in the discussion.
• Involve people of color in the work.
• Strengthen organizations and networks.

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Improve Policies

• Improve state and national policies. Successful
  demonstration projects is one way to influence
  policy.
• Improve policies within systems. Changing
  policies at the state and national levels isnt
  enoughchanges also have to occur within systems.
• Assess the impact of policies by funding research
  on how policies contribute to disparities.

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The Challenges

• Despite progress, many challenges remain on many
  different levels. From a funders perspective we
  work with multiple stakeholders to grapple with
  challenges related to
• Ineffective messages
• Maybe the messages work with advocates, but do
  they work with families of color.
• Inadequate research
• Changing demographics and constant influx of
  immigrants and refugees is a 21st century
  reality.

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Ongoing Challenges.

• Uncertain cause and effect.
• Multiple, intersecting factors underlie
  disparities so it can be hard to determine
  whether an intervention in one area is actually
  responsible for improvements in another. The
  complexity makes it hard to measure (and claim)
  success.
• Short-term vs. long-term goals
• This is a real tension in terms of selecting
  grantees. Is it better to invest in stronger,
  more viable organizations that can start work
  immediately OR work/invest in new organizations
  whose leaders reflect the population being served
  but are financially fragile.

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Summary Comments

• The work is evolving but the core will remain the
  same
• Commitment to data (use data to identify
  problems and shape solutions).
• Acknowledgement of racism.
• Push for continual improvement.