Re-Post: Working Backwards for Social Issue Problem-Solving: Bill Gates on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

This post is a staff favorite! It is a masterclass in problem-solving. Consider this Michelin-star-level Brain Food!

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Social problems are complex and require a structured, rigorous approach to finding solutions. For example, ACT Rochester uses the ‘4 Cs’ as a guide to support systematized problem-solving. The more structured we are in addressing the complex issues, the more accurately we can diagnose a solution and build a persuasive story.

We start with the problem, working backwards to identify what we need to know and identify opportunities to intervene. It’s science. Tried and true.

In a recent episode on popular podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Bill Gates discusses his rigorous approach to problem-solving in his work for the Gates Foundation. Early in the episode (a little over 14 and a half minutes in), Gates references his reliance on descriptive statistics for contextual understanding. He then makes a quick reference to the fact that his foundation sponsors autopsies on children in India so that they can be sure that they address leading causes of death. The interview doesn’t focus on this point, but it is worth underlining . Since the Gates Foundation is committed to saving lives, Gates and his team acknowledged that first they needed to understand what was taking lives. 

Consider this structured way of thinking. Identify a goal. Figure out root causes to identify interventions. Rinse. Repeat. 

Re-Post: Guest Post on Census Geographies

In honor of the recent release of more recent Census data, let’s recall the Census geographies as defined by guest contributor and RACF colleague, Cameron Caputi.

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To unlock the power of the US Census (data provided every 10 years) and the American Community Survey (data provided every year), an understanding of relevant underlying geographies is crucial. Below are explanations of the nine most relevant Census geographies. 

Census Block: The smallest geography in the census, it represents a small segment of housing units in a neighborhood. Limited data is available, especially in lower density areas. 

Census Block Group: A collection of census blocks are packaged together to create a census block group. Census block groups roughly represent neighborhoods. 

Census Tract: This is the smallest unit in which population-level data from the Census is widely available. There are between 1,200 and 8,000 people in each census tract, but the optimal number per tract is 4,000.  

Zip Code Tabulation Areas: This geography contains all addresses within a postal code. Zip codes can be found in parts of the county in which census blocks, census block groups, and census tracts may not be found. Zip codes follow existing geographic barriers such as county subdivisions and counties to a lesser extent than other smaller geographies.  

County Subdivisions: This geography consists of cities, towns, townships, and villages within a specific county. These geographies are the smallest relevant self-governing geography included in the Census. The geographic boundaries of county subdivisions do not align well with other geographic boundaries such as Zip codes and census tracts. 

Place: This geography is very similar to county subdivision, but it contains unincorporated areas in some states and is divorced from county of origin.

Counties: These are a largely administrative geography with a focus on governance. Counties consist of county subdivisions and places, and typically envelop urban high-density cities. This geography varies greatly in population across the United States, but is a strong choice for evaluative geography due to the relatively low standard error in Census and ACS metrics. 

Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs): This geography is based around core urban areas and encompasses all areas around this core that have a high degree of economic and social integration. MSAs are not limited by counties, places, or county subdivisions, but can cross relevant political boundaries in order to capture population interest. 

Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs): This geography builds upon the concept of MSAs to include surrounding areas with less integration but high economic reliance on major metro areas. This could include hinterlands of major metros that are only semi-urban. CSAs create a boundary to identify regions that transcend metro boundaries. 

In light of these definitions, we urge you to consider the geography of the question or problem that you have in mind. In many cases, we may need to consider establishing more localized data collection.

Written by Cameron Caputi, Director of Foundation and Community Analytics at Rochester Area Community Foundation. Cameron has a Master of Public Policy and Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and is a skilled data scientist focused on data processes, dashboard creation, and advanced coding. 

Re-Post: Curated Chapters from Poverty, by America

Matthew Desmond came to Rochester in 2024, and he and his newest book Poverty, by America inspired us to be poverty abolitionists. See this May 2024 post for some Brain Food and curated chapters of this motivating scholarship.

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One of the charges for Poverty Abolitionists in Matthew Desmond’s Poverty, by America is his argument about the inequities of the US banking system. In Chapter 3, Desmond calls out banking. If you have not read the full book yet, I recommend flagging pages 71 to 79. Desmond’s argument is that the poor are trapped in a cycle of debt. From fee structures (think overdraft fees) to overt racial discrimination in banking practices to even banking hours kept, the system is not designed for the poor. Pile on the credit system and qualifying for loans and it’s an uphill battle, to say the very least. So, how can we work toward a more equitable banking system? 

Chapter 9 highlights zoning laws as key vehicles for exclusion and a key component of structural inequality. Desmond argues for a diversity of voices in the zoning conversations, where decisions about community development are made by a group that better reflects the community. If we can move toward more inclusive zoning policy, we would move toward setting a norm of inclusivity. 

The City of Rochester is updating its zoning code, see Rochester Zoning Alignment Project to learn more.

Re-Post: Impact

Originally titled “Impact: Measuring the Difference We Make” this post highlights a key term in our work. Consider this some refreshed Brain Food!

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Impact is a buzzword, particularly in the nonprofit space. What is our impact? Are our programs having impact? The challenge is that “impact” means different things to different people, and social science has a strong opinion. Impact indicates causality and can only be determined through rigorous evaluation. 

An inherently empirical term, impact is the difference in a specific outcome resulting from a particular intervention versus the outcome that results without that intervention. You could think of it like a math problem:

(Outcome with Intervention) – (Outcome without Intervention) = Impact

We often hear of impact defined as an intervention’s results (without evaluation) or even as a measure of output, such as the number of meals served. The danger in the disassociation between impact and causality is that we are setting ourselves up to connect the wrong dots, coming to an inaccurate conclusion because we omitted the science.

As you plan future projects, consider the science behind impact and how you want to measure success. Remember: ACT Rochester is here to help! 

For technical assistance feel free to email actrochester@racf.org

Re-Post: Social Capital

This was one of the first posts on the new site, on a topic that has been central to ACT Rochester, Social Capital. Please enjoy this 2024 favorite Brain Food!

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On a community level, we can use social capital to make sure that all social networks are engaged and that none are isolated. In this way, it becomes a key for advancing equity and economic mobility. Consider social networks… which networks are connected to resources, and which are isolated?

If we are intentional about identifying networks and isolated networks, unemployed or underemployed individuals can become connected and are then more likely to find job-training programs, mentors or new opportunities. Families can find quality after-school programs for their children or day programs for their elders or loved ones with special needs.

December, A Time for Reflection

There’s an article from the September-October 2024 magazine of the Harvard Business Review where Michael Luca and Amy C. Edmondson (you’ll recognize that name from ‘psychological safety’ and Right Kind of Wrong) that summarizes ACT’s mission beautifully:

“When considering internal data or the results of a study, often business leaders either take the evidence presented as gospel or dismiss it altogether. Both approaches are misguided. “ ~Summary, Where Data-Driven Decision-Making Can Go Wrong

The article goes into greater detail and calls out the importance of matching information with the question being asked (internal validity), the pitfall of underestimating the importance of sample size (particularly relevant to many counties in our region), and the challenge of aligning outcomes with actual program activities. It is as though the authors have attended meetings here in Rochester!

We at ACT Rochester have turned to narrative as another key part of the solution to data-driven decision-making going wrong. If we challenge our default assumptions, we are more likely to ask the questions that Luca and Edmondson suggest and avoid the pitfalls.

So, in the spirit of reinforcing new ideas, the Brain Food posts in the month of December will be re-posts from the time before email alerts. We will highlight staff top picks from posts before October. ACT Rochester social media will call out older posts as well. We have worked hard on Brain Food throughout all of 2024 and want to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Happy December, friends of ACT! Please enjoy your Brain Food, nutrition for healthy thought :-)

Gratitude

This is a time for gratitude, and we at ACT Rochester have so much to be thankful for.

Here is just the beginning of our gratitude list:

Thanks to all of you who read Brain Food!

Thank you to our guest contributors - Cameron Caputi, Dr. Tyana Velazquez-Smith, and Kristen Van Hooreweghe!

Thank you to PTKO, Dharmik Joshi, and Omar Aponte for their data wizardry!

Thank you to Andrew Soucier of Soucier Design for continuous partnership on design and website maintenance!

We are so grateful for the opportunity to be a resource for data, narrative, and research in our community. The stories that we tell ourselves, and the stories we tell each other, play such an important role in how we go about social change. We remain grateful for our role in shaping those stories!

Feedback Surveys

You probably noticed a feedback survey that pops up when you get to the ACT website, and again when you leave. To those of you who filled both out - thank you! We encourage you to take the 5 minutes to complete both surveys.

Why are we surveying you? Well, after we gave you some time with the new site, we wanted to learn about who is using the site and how you are using it so that we can keep making it better. We will be taking this survey down in late December and will post new questions after a short break. ACT is a data initiative, after all, and is committed to learning as much as we can about how to make this website a useful tool.

We will report back on survey results in January 2025! Stay tuned for that particular Brain Food, and thank you again for participating.

Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning

I hope everyone is on the distribution list for the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning (an incredible organization operating within Monroe County). If you’re not already signed up, go to theleadcoalition.org and scroll down to the footer for NEWSLETTER SIGNUP.

Anyway, in their most recent newsletter the Coalition did an exemplary job of contextualizing data:

“Monroe County recently released the number of children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels in 2023 (read the press release here). Unfortunately, 241 children had elevated blood lead levels which is an increase of 100 individuals from 2022. There may be several explanations for the increase, including a continued rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic during which many families skipped routine doctor’s visits and a 6% increase in overall testing. 2023’s numbers will not discourage the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning and our partners. We will continue our efforts to eliminate lead poisoning, because every kid in Monroe County deserves to be safe from lead!” ~ Newsletter 11/15/2024

The Coalition reported the increase in children with elevated blood levels, sharing necessary information without fear and with a firm grasp on possible explanations. This newsletter is a brilliant example of embracing facts and communicating data in context (one of ACT’s 4 Cs!).

May we all approach data with an eye toward improvement, without fear, and with an understanding of the bigger picture!

UPDATE: Esteemed colleague and fellow RACF Initiative Director Elizabeth McDade sent along a study that highlights the extraordinary work of the Coalition. The research highlights incredible achievements in Monroe County, “Notably, this study found that in Monroe County, the absolute rate of decline in childhood lead poisoning…occurred much faster than those in the U.S. and New York State” (Kennedy et al., 2014, p.2620)

Source: Kennedy, B. S., Doniger, A. S., Painting, S., Houston, L., Slaunwhite, M., Mirabella, F., ... & Stich, E. (2014). Declines in elevated blood lead levels among children, 1997− 2011. American journal of preventive medicine, 46(3), 259-264.

Young People + Civic Participation

In the flurry of conversations about voter turnout and participation, consider this article about how to engage young people beyond elections/voting. It is excellent Brain Food, without the partisanship!

The article provides some very interesting case studies of youth engagement in cities across the US. Remember: voter participation is highly aligned with the upward mobility pillars that drive RMAPI’s work, as voting is key for both a feeling of autonomy and for a sense of belonging. (If you need a reminder of the Upward Mobility Framework, click here.)

Enjoy your weekend and GO BILLS!

RENEW Website!

We’re thrilled to share that RENEW has officially launched their website! This site is a useful tool to learn more about the importance of energy-efficiency and other environmental justice efforts in our region. Rochester ENergy Efficiency and Weatherization (RENEW) works with community partners to help make the homes of income-eligible residents more energy-efficient, healthier, and safer. They’re proud to have been doing this work for 9 years, and celebrated with an anniversary party in August, where this site was first previewed by longtime friends and partners in the work.

The website features a comprehensive list of community partners, client stories, photos, and more. Try using the Carbon Offset Calculator to calculate your total carbon emissions and the amount to donate to “offset” your footprint to the RENEW Climate Fund. This tool will help support our neighbors, and all contributions will stay local to help clean the air we all breathe.

We love to lift up the work of our fellow initiatives at the Community Foundation and invite you to explore this new website at your leisure!

Here’s a bit of a scavenger hunt to get you started: which award did RENEW win in July 2024?  

Eviction Diversion Resource Center

On October 15th, colleagues from fellow RACF initiative RENEW (Rochester ENergy Efficiency and Weatherization), passed along a memo to members from the National Low Income Housing Coalition about Monroe County’s new resource center.

The memo - found here - references ACT Rochester data and explains the utility of this important public service. The Eviction Diversion Resource Center (EDRC) is located within the Hall of Justice and is associated with Housing Court. In fact, the EDRC appears to be a nexus point for many housing-related organizations in Monroe County.

Housing has been a hot button issue and the EDRC and the article provide critical information to inform community members in need, as well as the stories we are telling about housing in Monroe County. Consider this some significant Brain Food!

Election Day

I hope that all friends of ACT Rochester got out the vote! Voter participation is such a key part of community, so much so that voter participation is a metric in the Upward Mobility Framework that RMAPI has adopted.

When we vote, we directly participate in our government and it helps us feel like we belong in our community, that we have a voice. And all our voices are needed!

At ACT Rochester, and our parent institution Rochester Area Community Foundation, we strive toward a more equitable, inclusive, and vital community - and voting is CRUCIAL. So, if you haven’t already please make time to fill out a ballot.

If you need to figure out your voting location or if you don’t know whether you’re registered, you can use this site. Most sites are open until 9pm!

How is it already November?

It’s November 1st!

We are nearing the end of the calendar year for 2024 - what are you focusing on? Is there a storyline you’ve been stuck in that you need to change? Is there an old statistic that you rely on in conversation that needs updating? There are two months of 2024 left to execute our resolutions before we make some more for 2025. Please consider adding ACT to your reflection - if you have any feedback, please feel free to send it to actrochester@racf.org and please fill out the pop-up survey when you visit the website!

November is also a celebration month for a whole range of things, including:

• National Adoption Month

• American Diabetes Month

• Aviation History Month

• Banana Pudding Lovers Month

• Bereaved Siblings Month, Worldwide

• Diabetic Eye Disease Month

• National Epilepsy Awareness Month

• Eye Donation Month

• National Family Caregivers Month

• National Georgia Pecan Month

• National Inspirational Role Models Month

• National Long-Term Care Awareness Month

• Lung Cancer Awareness Month

• National Marrow Awareness Month

• Movember

• National Memoir Writing Month

• National Native-American Heritage Month

• National Novel Writing Month

• Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month

• Picture Book Month

• Prematurity Awareness Month

• National Runaway Prevention Month

• Vegan Month, Worldwide

What are you going to celebrate this November?

Happy Halloween!

Wishing everyone a fun, safe, and delicious October 31st!

In addition to candy and costumes, Halloween often brings up public safety concerns for parents. Here are some resources toward a fun, safe night:

• In an article from 2021, police offered guidance for parents including to not engage if you witness vandalism (instead, flash your lights and call 9-1-1), plan your trick-or-treating route in advance, and pay attention when crossing the street. Find the full article here.

• For Halloween celebrators over 21, the University of Rochester Department of Public Safety posted tips for a safe Halloween here.

Speaking of public safety, on July 18, 2024 the Rochester Beacon posted an excellent, data-informed article about Rochester’s overall crime rate that is worth a read! Let’s call this one Brain Candy :-)

Early Voting

I’m voting this weekend! In New York State, we have a voting window in case life gets busy and you can’t make it on November 5th. The window starts tomorrow, October 26th.

I received information in the mail about my voting location, the voting window dates, and the hours that my location is open. If you haven’t received this, you can look up your voting location and the details at https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/

Please make sure you take the time to vote!

The Science of Failing Well

There’s such a thing as failing well? Yep, and Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson’s 2023 book Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well provides the detailed formula for productive failure and the circumstances to turn failure into innovation.

You may recognize the author’s name, as Dr. Edmondson coined the term psychological safety from her research about the dynamics behind successful teams. Psychological safety is an environment that encourages candor and reframes mistakes as learning opportunities. From this work, Dr. Edmondson turns to the idea of good failures.

If you read the book with a lens toward social change, it is a prescription for continuous improvement, intentional iterative action, and rigorous problem-solving. As Dr. Edmondson says, “Intelligent failures provide valuable new knowledge. They bring discovery. They occur when experimentation is necessary simply because answers are not knowable in advance” (p.11). Social transformation requires new knowledge and discovery precisely because we are asking hard, complicated questions.

Particularly poignant is the second part of the book: practicing the science of failing well. The three chapters in part two focus on self-awareness, situation awareness, and system awareness and how each intersect with failure. Dr. Edmondson highlights how our biases, contexts, and system dynamics influence how we frame (and our tolerance of) failure.

The overarching argument in the book is that fear of failure stifles innovation, so we need to take the fear away and be open to the good failures. Page 63 even poses some questions that would help us design a smart pilot program/intervention (spoiler: the goal of the pilot should be to learn as much as possible, not to prove the success of the innovation to funders)! Chapter 7: Appreciating Systems (p.227) is particularly relevant for our collective impact efforts.

The last chapter of the book begins with a quote from tennis legend Billie Jean King: “For me, losing a tennis match isn’t failure. It’s research.” Food for thought!

Source: Edmondson, A. C. (2023). Right kind of wrong: The science of failing well. Simon and Schuster.

Register to vote!

Voter registration is due October 26th, which is next Saturday.

If you are not sure whether you are registered, fill out this form.

If you are not registered, here is what you need to know:

Qualifications to Register

To qualify for voter registration in New York State, you must:

• be a United States Citizen;

• be 18 years old (you may pre-register at 16 or 17 but cannot vote until you are 18);

• be a resident of this state and the county, city or village for at least 30 days before the election;

• not be in prison for a felony conviction (click here to learn more about voting after incarceration);

• not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court;

• not claim the right to vote elsewhere

Registration Forms

You may register to vote using the New York State Voter Registration Form found at the links below. You can complete a PDF version of the New York State Voter Registration Form on-line by clicking on the link below, typing the necessary information and selecting the appropriate boxes. Alternatively, you can print the form to complete by hand.

New York State Voter Registration Form English

New York State Voter Registration Form Spanish

Once the form is completed, you need to print the form and sign it. We cannot accept any kind of digital or Adobe-generated signature. Then, mail the form to your local county board of elections (select your county and find address here ) or return the form in person to your county board of elections, a local DMV, or any of the following agencies:

• Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services

• City Universities of New York(CUNY)

• Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

• Department of Health - WIC Program

• Department of Labor

• Department of Social Services

• Department of State

• Division of Veterans’ Services

• Military Recruiting Offices

• Office for the Aging

• Office of Mental Health

• Office For People With Developmental Disabilities

• State Universities of New York(SUNY)

• Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation(ACCES-VR)

• Workers’ Compensation Board

Again, the voter registration deadline is October 26th, so registration forms need to be returned by mail (received by 10/26) or in person by the end of the day on October 26th.

Absentee ballots also need to be requested by October 26th. For more information click here.

National Zoning Atlas + Local Update

I attended Reconnect Rochester’s film event - “The Sprawl Effect” - last week, and it was fantastic! Information, important conversation, and inspiration were plentiful.

At the event, I was introduced to a new resource that is relevant to zoning conversations that I know are happening across our community. Reminder: zoning codes were highlighted in Poverty, by America as a key area to focus on for poverty abolitionist work.

The resources is the National Zoning Atlas, an effort to digitize, demystify, and democratize (the 3 Ds!) zoning codes across urban counties in the US. Of particular interest is an interactive map, that includes zoning information about much of Monroe County. In addition to the map, the website includes a section called ‘Atlases in Action’ that provides snapshots, examples of advocacy, analysis, and some curated research on the topic. It is worth perusing!

Note: the project’s focus seems to be urban areas and therefore only areas within Monroe County are included at this stage, and even within Monroe County there are some gaps (Irondequoit is not available, for example). The project is in building mode so we hope that their good work expands into the other 7 counties of our region.

Consider using the National Zoning Atlas to check your facts and inform your conversations about zoning codes in Monroe County! The link is also included on the National Data Sources and Services page under Resources (a great reference list!).

UPDATE: In a brilliant example of communicating and connecting, Shane Wiegand (of Our Local History at CCSI) alerted me to a local project done in collaboration with Dr. Stu Jordan at the University of Rochester on zoning regulations and city planning. Please find an excellent story map here and a map specific to exclusionary zoning in Monroe County (with 2018 data) here.

Press Play!

Quick reminder for the Community Indicators dashboard that many of the visualizations are interactive and have a ‘play’ button on the bottom left. Don’t forget to press play! And you can always download the data to Excel.

We will have a how-to video coming soon, and please do not hesitate to email Meg or Maddie with any questions at actrochester@racf.org.