Assessing the Implementation of Self Determination
John O’Brien
May 2000
In preparation for August’s review of some of the effects and lessons of Dane County’s self-determination project, county leaders need to choose the way they want to direct the team’s attention. In this memo I will sketch three options as an aid to decision making. These are, of course, more than three possibilities and the design of a fi fth and better fi tting choice could emerge from reactions to the initial set.
. . .
In selecting among these options, it is important to think about 1) how the county intends to manage its contribution to the on-going improvement of service quality; 2) how the county intends to assess and improve its own performance as a system dedicated to self-direction; 3) how the county wants the August event to relate to ongoing quality improvement efforts; 4) how the county wants the August event to contribute to the dissemination of self-determination to other counties and states, and 5) how this effort will fi t with the two RWJ evaluations. It is reasonable to think that more than one approach will be necessary.
