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.
