The Power of Turn the Curve Thinking to Achieve Equitable Social Impact

By: Adam Luecking
October 26th, 2022

Performance and impact management may seem confusing and overwhelming, but it becomes less intimidating when done effectively. Effective performance and impact management involve planning out two kinds of measures (program performance measures vs. community indicators) and then utilizing a standard and repeatable system to improve these measures. “Turn the Curve Thinking” (TTC) is a robust system that can help accelerate positive changes in program and impact measures and, ultimately, improve the well-being of children, adults, families, and communities. 

What is Turn the Curve Thinking?

So, what is TTC? TTC is the central decision-making process of the Results-Based Accountability (RBA) methodology, designed to help organizations get from talking to taking action. Once they’ve established measures, TTC helps organizations, departments, and groups improve their measures through five simple steps:

1. Outline the ‘story behind the data” (information to contextualize the data)
2. Identify partners who have a role to play
3. Determine what has worked or what might work to improve the data
4. Develop a strategy for improvement
5. Translate the strategy into a specific action plan

You can learn more about these steps here.

For some, TTC seems obvious; it is common sense. But you’d be surprised at the fantastic results funders groups achieve once they standardize the practice of TTC Thinking. One only needs to look at practitioners’ numbers to get a sense of this methodology’s value. Take an example from the U.S. Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhoods program…

Example: U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhoods Program

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education decided to create a new Promise Neighborhoods Program. This decision was inspired by the successes of the Harlem Children’s Zone and the Promise Neighborhoods Institute based out of PolicyLink. From the start, Promise Neighborhoods were community-based initiatives meant to surround children in high-quality integrated programming designed around a multifaceted approach to healthy childhood development.

The Promise Neighborhoods program understands the power of keeping their performance score and allowing leaders to see what’s happening in real-time on the ground. This transparency in the data has created tremendous impacts on creating and maintaining aligned action. To sustain alignment with and passion for their mission, Promise Neighborhoods provides communities with a standard performance management system based on the principles of Results-Based Accountability and TTC to report and improve their data in the form of scorecards. 

Due to aligned performance measurement, action, and accountability, many Promise Neighborhood communities are turning curves on measures of well-being. Some of these, organized by the community, include:

• Delta Health Alliance, Indianola Promise Neighborhood
  • Increased the four-year adjusted cohort high school graduation rate from 71 percent to 82 percent (2015–2021)

• Delta Health Alliance, Deer Creek Promise Neighborhood:
  • Increased the four-year adjusted cohort high school graduation rate from 87.4 percent to 88.6 percent (2015–2020)

• Hayward Promise Neighborhood:
  • Decreased the chronic absenteeism rate of students in sixth to ninth grade from 12.4 percent to 4 percent (2017–2022)
  • Increased the percentage of kids who feel safe at school and traveling to and from school from 60.4 percent to 77.7 percent (2019–2022)

• Berea College — Knox Promise Neighborhood:
  • Decreased chronic absenteeism among sixth to ninth graders from 20.1 percent to 17.7 percent (2017–2019).

Learn more about this story here >>

Example: Mission Promise Neighborhood

Funders and grantees also utilize TTC to advance racial equity in their communities. For example, Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN) is a grantee of the national Promise Neighborhood Program. In the 2018 to 2019 school year, MPN found that Latinx children in the Mission District were less likely to be school-ready at kindergarten than other children. The numbers showcased the disparity: the school-readiness average for schools in the Mission District was 48 percent overall, with White students at 65 percent, Black students at 50 percent, and Latinx students at 42 percent — the lowest percentage for all students in the report. 

MPN realized that continued alignment would be a critical factor in improving school readiness for Latinx children. This meant meeting with key players regularly and establishing a system for continual improvement and evaluation. This is why, early on, MPN began convening early learning partners to develop a shared agenda around school readiness and to build targeted and aligned strategies. MPN continued to develop a strong network of partners that met regularly to discuss data, create shared measures, implement shared systems, and figure out ways to engage families in culturally responsive and authentic ways. To support continued alignment, MPN utilizes Results-Based Accountability tools like the TTC to ensure data and strategy discussions translate into action. 

What was the measurable impact of all this? A longitudinal cohort study implemented in 2018 demonstrated that four-year-olds whose families participated in MPN services had stronger scores in developmental assessments performed by teachers (across all domains of early-childhood success). Preschoolers who graduated from the MPN program and entered kindergarten in Mission District elementary schools were 71 percent ready, compared to the broader Mission District average of 48 percent for that year. 

For Latinx children, the results were even higher, at 72 percent readiness. This means Latinx children in the Mission Promise Neighborhood outperformed the entire Mission District average by 24 percentage points. In addition to its school readiness success, 80 percent of all Mission Latinx four-year-old children are now in preschool. Since its inception, the Mission district’s Latinx high school graduation rate has also increased by 18 percent.

Learn more about the Mission Promise Neighborhood story here >>

Learn More 

Like Promise Neighborhoods, amazing things happen when funders and their partners are laser-focused and align with standard measurement and improvement practices like TTC. The power of  TTC is proven daily through the improved lives of children, families, and communities served by government agencies, philanthropic organizations, and nonprofits. Even in times of uncertainty, funders and grantors can still achieve a clear and equitable impact with systems like TTC. 

In my recent book, Social Sector Hero – How Government and Philanthropy Can Fund for Impact, you can learn more about Turn the Curve Thinking and the Promise Neighborhoods success stories. Download it for free here.