LCAN Learning Community

Welcome to the LCAN Learning Community! Here you’ll find the latest tools and resources for LCAN leaders who are engaged in helping their communities transform into ones where students can thrive. We’ll be adding resources to meet the evolving needs of our networks, so please check back often!

Learning Tools and Resources by LCAN Development Stage:

Exploring – Community leaders in this phase are assessing their readiness to form an LCAN and working collectively around a college access and success agenda. In this stage, community leaders are developing a shared understanding of the issues needing redress, contemplating who should participate in defining the strategic vision, and considering how to build the will of a large enough cross section of organizations to make the LCAN effective in improving outcomes.

Emerging – In this stage, the community is focused on organizing for impact by assessing what resources already exist, where there are gaps in service to fill, defining a common agenda, and putting a working structure in place. The newly-formed LCAN typically conducts an asset map, drafts a strategic plan, builds trust among the participants, and prepares for the official launch of the LCAN to the community. A partner organization is identified to provide the early backbone support – organizing and convening through the early stages.

Implementing – The focus of this stage is to initiate action, balancing some quick wins to maintain support while working towards longer term system change goals. LCANs typically form working groups around key areas of focus identified during their planning process. They refine and build their measurement systems and transparently report on their progress.

Growing– In this stage, an established LCAN is focused on leveraging public goodwill earned from early wins to deepen progress and sustain momentum. The governing structure of the LCAN is established and functioning, keeping leaders, partners, and community members informed of progress. This is accomplished, for example, by periodically and transparently reporting how the LCAN is moving the needle on its shared metrics. Shifts in the backbone organization may take place during this stage. LCANs should periodically assess how they are functioning beyond just meeting mutually agreed-upon metrics. This cross-sector partnership assessment created by Living Cities provides tools and an assessment for LCANs to self-assess their progress.

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