Centering communities, constellations and networks of practice to improve youth post-school outcomes through PROMISE

BACKGROUND: Communities of practice continue to gain in popularity across industry sectors as a method for improving organizational performance and a multi-faceted typology has emerged over time. However, the extant literature has little to say regarding how multiple communities, constellations and networks of practice can form around a central problem in an attempt to address a broad systemic issue. OBJECTIVE: This article explores the contemporary challenges and limitations of the community of practice model and describes the approach one state took in employing a multi-faceted ‘Center of Practice’ to address the poor post-school outcomes of youth with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). CONCLUSION: The NYS PROMISE Center of Practice is described, as are perspectives on essential core elements, and propositions for consideration when implementing large systems level Centers of Practice to address challenges and limitations described in the literature with communities of practice. Lessons learned and implications for future research end this article.