Leading and Learning Through Cross-Sector Collaborative Action: the Nexus of Government, Education and Community

Abstract

From July 2, 2018 to April 30, 2019, I served the City of Somerville (Massachusetts) Health and Human Services Department (HHS) as a doctoral resident. The mission of HHS is to promote the health and well-being of all Somerville residents from birth to death—a monumental task, even for a city with only 4.2 square miles. With limited resources, barriers to services and supports, and other challenges, the HHS department cannot, on its own, meet all the residents’ needs. The same is true for the education and community sectors, both of which have limitations that prevent them from removing complex social challenges placed on children and families, such as housing instability, food insecurity, and childhood trauma. My Strategic Project focused on developing a city-wide “wraparound system” that integrates the services and supports of Somerville’s public-school district, city government, and community-based organizations. To do this, I employed a collaborative action framework as a guide to developing cross-sector capacity to build a city-wide wraparound system. I was able to advance this city-wide wraparound system because cross-sector stakeholders understood the value of their connection and the impact the system would have on their agency, as well as the expanded capacity that advanced the system and the deliberate planning that steered the work. Leading and learning at the intersection of education, government, and community furthered my knowledge of what needs to be done in Somerville and in the education sector to advance cross-sector collaboration that benefits all children and families. This capstone writing chronicles my journey, and highlights the strategies I used to develop and advance the city-wide wraparound system in Somerville.