FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2015 – National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) is proud to announce Ashland winner of the Voice of the People Award for Transformation in Education and Enrichment. Only given to jurisdictions that best listen and act to improve their communities, this year’s award is most competitive. Based on responses from The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS™), residents of Ashland report the highest levels of improvement with education and enrichment compared with all other participating jurisdictions.
The National Citizen Survey™ reports resident opinions and satisfaction with local government and services with a scientific, representative sample approach. Results are then used to inform budgeting, performance measurement and program planning.
The Voice of the People Awards stand alone as the only award given in local government based on community opinion. The perspectives of the residents themselves determine nominees for the very best of community engagement, safety, mobility, foundations of livability, recreation and wellness, education and enrichment, natural environment, built environment and economy. Of the communities that participated in the 2014 National Citizen Survey, winners for Transformation in these categories showed the greatest improvement in resident opinions from their last conducted NCS.
“This is a unique opportunity to see evidence of best practices quantified by survey results,” said NRC president Tom Miller, noting that awarding top jurisdictions can even benefit other communities. “Others can understand the successes of their colleagues and get to know what’s working best in America.”
Now running eight years, the Voice of the People Awards are presented by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and National Research Center, Inc. They will be given at the 101st annual ICMA conference in Seattle, WA, September 2015.
National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) is a leader in the field of public sector research and evaluation, with clients from across the country and around the globe. NRC’s team of social scientists support cities, counties, foundations and nonprofit organizations in using research to move their communities forward. Visit www.n-r-c.com to learn more about Voice of the People and National Research Center.