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Public Agenda helps communities and the nation
solve tough problems through:

Research that illuminates people's views & values;

Engagement that gets people talking, learning from each other and working together on solutions; and

Communications that spreads the word and builds momentum for change.

By doing so, we seek to contribute to a democracy in which problem-solving triumphs over gridlock and inertia, and where public policy reflects the deliberations and values of the citizenry.

Public Agenda is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. You can find out more about us in our What We Do and Frequently Asked Questions pages.

ON THE AGENDA

The High Stakes of Stakeholder Engagement: A Plea for Careful Planning from Public Agenda

Alison Kadlec
Feb 1, 2012

This post was written for the 20 community colleges participating in Completion by Design, a five-year Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation initiative that aims to significantly increase completion rates for low-income students under 26. As a “National Assistance partner” for Completion by Design, Public Agenda provides direct assistance to the colleges to help them build capacity for solutions-oriented dialogue among faculty, staff and administration. Here, Public Agenda's Alison Kadlec discusses best practices for authentic internal stakeholder engagement. While the post is geared toward Completion by Design planning teams, the principles are useful for any authentic engagement process.

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You Can't Do It Alone: A New Guide to Creating Sustainable Change in Education Reform

Allison Rizzolo
Jan 24, 2012

Far too often, throughout our work in the education field, we've seen even the most earnest and promising ideas from experts and reformers for improving schools and ramping up student learning met with confusion, anxiety or even anger from teachers, parents, students or community members.

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Press Releases

Michelle Currie

Senior Public Engagement Associate

Michelle Currie

Michelle Currie leads a variety of field-based qualitative research and engagement projects and works on project development, management and evaluation of the public engagement initiatives.

Prior to her work with Public Agenda, Michelle has worked in diverse roles with a range of communities and stakeholders, ranging from students and parents to faculty, corporations, community-based organizations and government agencies.

As the Planning and Evaluation Project Manager at Cornell University Cooperative Extension – NYC (CUCE-NYC), she managed process and outcome evaluation projects in support of three main program areas—Family and Youth Development, Nutrition and Health, and Urban Environment. Michelle has also supported evaluation and other initiatives pertaining to medical research and hospitals. As a teacher in New York City and as a school administrator in Pittsburgh she guided the development and policies of the schools.

Michelle received her B.S. in Early Childhood & Elementary Education from New York University and an M.S. in Applied Social Research from Hunter College, City University of New York.

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