What are the key things I need to know and do?
You can complete a Social Network Analysis for your school or district in five steps. From learning and practicing key concepts to building a map of your social network – it is all available here. Be sure to read the St. Louis case study to see how others have used Social Network Analysis to support efforts to build a culture of health and well-being.
1. Learn key concepts
Before you get started, you’ll need to understand a few basic concepts related to social networks and how they can be analyzed.
2. Define your scope
Then you’ll need to decide whether you’re going to implement the WSCC model at one school, multiple schools, or district-wide, and how detailed an analysis you’re going to conduct before implementing the WSCC model.
3. Build your roster
No matter how you define your scope, you’ll need to develop a list, or a roster, of possible people in your school community to help you implement the WSCC model.
4. Administer your SNA survey
Once you identify your potential partners, you’ll want to survey them so that you can understand the structure of key relationships and the flow of information within your school or district.
5. Analyze and interpret your results
Using the tools enclosed in this module, you’ll learn how to identify the strongest team to implement the WSCC model.
6. Read about this work in St. Louis
Read the case study to learn how a team of researchers, educators, and community partners used social network analysis to identify key influencers who could help implement a healthy schools approach in two St. Louis school districts.