Wilder Research

Wilder Research staff in action!

Interested in #racialequity & #civicdata? Check out this amazing new toolkit from Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) & partners to learn more about current work in action and strategies to #CenterRacialEquity in the field https://lnkd.in/gPJ_2rHK ? Originally released in 2020, the toolkit has been used by hundreds of organizations and agencies seeking to acknowledge and mitigate for the harms and bias baked into data, data infrastructure, and data practices. ? ?? Shout out to Amy Susman-Stillman/Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), Jessie Austin O'Neill, Briellen Griffin, Piere Washington, Ph.D., and Nicole MartinRogers for sharing examples of this work in action! ? ??? Want to learn more? Check out AISP's webinar on March 19th, 12-1 PM ET? for an overview of the new Toolkit and Workbook, a scavenger hunt, and special guests. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gTjAiuK9

Today is March 3 and childcare providers across Minnesota are closing their doors to show our communities and our elected leaders that childcare is vital to thriving communities and families. Teachers and providers need funding to ensure childcare is affordable and accessible, kids get high-quality childcare, and teachers can earn living wages! The Wilder Child Development Center invites you to participate with them from 1-4 PM. The afternoon includes sign-making, a march to the state capitol, and a press conference. Sign up and learn more: https://lnkd.in/d6h3ijjw #dwocc25?#DayWithoutChildCare?#FundChildCare?#mnleghttps:

Did you catch the presentation by?Jackie Heap Aman,?Nina Clark, and Emma Bohmann at the Minnesota Council on Foundations' annual conference last week?

Concerned about the loss of public data from federal sites? We are too. Read the latest Minnesota Compass Insights article by Wilder Research staff.

Last week, researcher Anna Granias joined Ashley Dress of Southeast Library Services to share results from a recent Minnesota K-12 school library census before the MN Senate Committee on Education Finance. Conducted with Minnesota Multicounty Multitype Library Systems, results from the census can be useful to legislators, school administrators, school library staff, and families interested in school libraries. Among the findings: - 81% of schools in MN reported that they have a library media center?? - 46% of schools do not have a licensed media specialist managing the media center Watch their testimony (starting at 27:20) and read the report: https://lnkd.in/geqnfq_S Left to right: Ashley Dress, School Media Centers Consultant at SELS (Southeast Library Services), Anna Granias, Wilder Research, and Ann Walker Smalley, Director at Metronet. Ashley and Ann are both part of the Multicounty Multitype Library Systems.

At tomorrow's Mental Health Day on the Hill, advocates will be at the state capitol raising awareness for improving mental health outcomes in Minnesota. A core strength of Wilder Research staff is the evaluation of mental health services and policy. We've compiled reports and stories on our website: https://lnkd.in/eDYmpZm3 #MentalHealth #Advocacy #MentalHealthDayontheHill #Minnesota

“We’ve known for years that we don’t have enough mental health providers to meet the need,” said Melissa Serafin, another co-author of the study. “We found several actionable and relatively simple ways to improve the licensure process and better support graduates and ultimately increase the number of providers in the state.” Read the full report from Wilder Research & Center for Rural Behavioral Health: https://lnkd.in/gwb8aSf8 https://lnkd.in/gSP_6P_w

Barriers to mental health licensure threaten to exacerbate a severe shortage of mental health providers in Minnesota. Wilder Research and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Center for Rural Behavioral Health at Minnesota State University, Mankato surveyed recent graduates from master's programs in Minnesota to identify the barriers that prevent them from licensure in social work, counseling, or marriage and family therapy. A new report shares the challenges they identified, including: ? - Financial strains - Burdensome application and administrative processes - Strict requirements - Misalignment between licensure types and between states - Lack of attention to work well-being, diversity and equity concerns - Supervision quality - Exams that ineffectively assess knowledge and skills Read the report: https://lnkd.in/gkw3Z-7J

#ThrowbackThursday "Data can be a tool for immense social benefit, but it also has a history of being exploited, manipulated, and stolen. This can make individuals and our communities feel less safe and more surveilled, and can uphold oppressive policies and systems," Jacqueline Zhang writes in her Wilder blog post from October, "Data Ownership, Governance, and Sovereignty for Nonprofits." In this post, she shares strategies for integrating data justice into organizational structures based on insights from community organizers, data practitioners, and Indigenous Peoples.? https://lnkd.in/eVQGD_aC #Data #DataJustice #LoveDataWeek