More of the same?

I was here at the Blueprints conference two years ago, and I'm back for more. Why - will it just be more of the same? I expect so. Nothing much has changed - there are no new programs elevated to the dizzying heights of a 'model program', and just two more have made the 'promising programs grade (BASIC and SAAF). The Blueprints website offers plenty of information about each of the programs - could I have not just stayed at home and read about them? And finally, I don't even have the time to don my skis and hit the Rockies (and rather disappointingly there is not even any snow in Denver).

So as the Americans might say, 'what the bejeezus am I doing here?' Well, for one, there is so much to get through: 11 model programs plus a bunch of promising interventions. I could only really really scratch the surface last time so I'm here to plow through the rest. Second, there seems to be a bigger focus this time around on the long-haul: not only developing and evaluating interventions, but making sure they are implemented with fidelity and scaled-up effectively (the Penn State posse are here to help). There is also nothing quite like hearing these things direct: words like 'multidimensional', 'utilization' and 'fidelity' hold a lot more power when spoken as opposed to read.

Oh, and I'm here with a large contingent from Ireland ... and it's St. Patrick's Day (or week - they are fanatical about it here) ... and we're going out for a civilized dinner tonight ... wish me luck.