The Tulsa Child Equity Index (CEI) is an innovative data model of school and community features that influence student success that Tulsa Public Schools, ImpactTulsa, and a collaboration of community partners launched in early 2019. The Child Equity Index provides unique, timely, and relevant information for understanding neighborhood, social, and economic conditions that impact local students, families, and communities.
As ImpactTulsa aims to support partners by utilizing the Child Equity Index in ways that ensure all students and families have opportunities to thrive, we are working to share specific ways that partners are using maps. James Reynolds, director of the Landlord Tenant Resource Center at Housing Solutions, shares his insights below.
Question: What are concrete ways in which you plan to use the Child Equity Index to guide your work for both short-term and long-term work?
Answer: “One of the rough ideas I have is to map the following data points to highlight a more effective & proactive approach to raise the awareness levels in parents and schools on the eviction process:
- Use the zip codes of individuals coming to our Social Services Hub.
- Use Asemio/TPS eviction letter data.
- OSCN eviction data to monitor property eviction filing numbers.
- Note the needs of clients (legal, mental, economical).
Organically, I envision strategically penetrating local organizations (after-school program locations, YMCA, etc), and TPS schools through PTA meetings, presenting on professional development days for teachers, and building stronger relationships with TPS liaisons & supporting faculty. In doing so, I believe we can impact the community by helping keep people housed, allowing children to stay in school, and encouraging economic solutions (increased income, caring for & supporting our neighbors).”
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We hope this helps inspire you to think of ways your organization can use the Child Equity Index in ways that make the community better for our students and families. If you have any questions about the Child Equity Index or would like to learn more about ImpactTulsa, follow this link.