Continuous improvement is one of the Compact’s guiding principles. As such, UNITE-LA is committed to looking inward to ensure we are delivering on our promise to bring together cross-sector stakeholders to deliver results for children and youth. We commissioned Harder + Company Community Research to evaluate the L.A. Compact, and we are excited to share the findings with you. Through the Compact, UNITE-LA has built relationships, increased trust and supported shared decision making among members.

The evaluation underscores UNITE-LA’s effectiveness as a convener and facilitator. Members also recognized that their participation in the Compact has influenced their own organizational practices.

In addition to looking at the overall effectiveness of the Compact, Harder + Company Community Research, with support from UNITE-LA’s Research and Evaluation team, evaluated three of the Compact workgroups: the L.A. Educator Pathways Partnership, Student Success Workgroup, and Stewardship Group. Specifically, we sought to learn more about:

1. UNITE-LA’s role in convening and supporting the workgroups
2. Collaborative systems change—particularly the value of undertaking Compact efforts together rather than as individual institutions
3. The extent to which members have a shared vision and joint approach

Workgroup surveys and one-on-one interviews with current and former workgroup members and UNITE-LA leadership showed strong evidence in support of UNITE-LA’s capacity to effectively foster a productive space for cross sector collaboration (97 percent of workgroup members agreed). L.A. Compact partners also acknowledge the power of working together across institutions and sectors. 88 percent of members reported mutual trust with other institutions because of their participation in a workgroup.

We also learned that workgroup members want to better understand the function, goals and activities of the different workgroups and how they operate together to achieve Compact shared goals. In response, workgroup members suggested that the Compact will require more funding and resources from partners to advance and sustain the work and that UNITE-LA should explore and plan collaborative funding of the Compact. 

The full report of the L.A. Compact Evaluation provides the methodology, results and analysis in greater depth—including separate, pull-out evaluation briefs for the L.A. Educator Pathways Partnership and Student Success Workgroup. 

For more information, please contact Lisa Catanzarite, Vice President, Research and Evaluation, at [email protected].