August 1, 2008

Elements of Success 1: Structural Options

This issue brief by Elizabeth Gaines, Ian Faigley, and Karen Pittman delves into the benefits and challenges of certain structural options for State children's cabinets and councils. It describes six components of structure that are associated with positive system change: scope of the vision and mission, authority, organizational home, scale of composition and formality, resources, and local connections. For each component, recommendations are made for best practices to ensure success. Examples of successful councils are provided throughout the brief.