Chattanooga is among the first eight cities selected for a nationwide initiative to improve government performance and transparency through civic data. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities is providing support and training for midsize cities. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s foundation is spending $42 million over three years to connect cities with experts in data […]
Chattanooga data efforts get boost from Bloomberg Read More »
“Sharing Data Key to Improving Foster Care Outcomes” “An average of 32 percent of foster students change schools in a given year, making data sharing imperative to improving their educational success.” States that share data among child welfare and education agencies have a better chance of lessening some of the barriers foster care students face
The Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) today announced the launch of its new Evidence-Based Policy and Innovation division. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the new division will develop and support initiatives that encourage policy leaders to consider reliable evidence and data as the primary factor in their decisions. Kathy Stack and Jon Baron, two of
LJAF Launches Evidence-Based Policy and Innovation Division in Washington, D.C. Read More »
AISP: You are likely aware of the Administrative Data chapter in President Obama’s 2016 budget. What was your impression of its focus on “improving access to workforce data” and what do you think we can expect from this statement? Rachel Zinn: “We were thrilled to see that the 2016 President’s Budget includes proposals to expand
The Children’s Data Network released “cumulative risk” reports in December 2014 that represent their first “push” of linked data. This report aims to provoke conversation and interest in linked data by documenting how birth records can serve as the foundation for longitudinal examinations of children’s trajectories over time. To find out more, please click here.
The potential for interdisciplinary research is about to expand considerably throughout the state of Wisconsin, thanks to Census Bureau approval for construction of a branch Research Data Center, or RDC, on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. A Census Bureau RDC provides secure access by researchers to administrative data linked across federal agencies that would otherwise
UW-Madison to Host Census Research Bureau Data Center Read More »
The Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy convened leaders from the White House, Federal agencies, Congress, philanthropic foundations, and academia this week to explore an important development in the effort to build credible evidence about “what works” in social spending: low-cost randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The goal of the conference was
White House Promotes IDS for Low Cost RCTs Read More »
The July 2014 New York Times article, “The Quiet Movement to Make Government Fail Less Often” emphasizes the importance of rigorous evaluation of government programs as the key to a more successful government. Recently, several evaluations have emerged, largely due to the growing availability of data. The article notes that the private sector has utilized
The Move Towards Rigorous Evaluation Read More »
This guidance to department and agency heads specifically addresses how to move forward with regard to the July 26, 2013 OMB Memo, “Next Steps in the Evidence and Innovation Agenda.” OMB notes, “We appreciate agencies’ participation in the wide range of ongoing efforts to strengthen the use of data and evidence to drive better decision
OMB Issues FY 2016 Budget Guidance Read More »
“‘Start with what you have,’ is the advice consultants recommend to organizations that are just launching performance measurement initiatives. Now the Office of Management and Budget has issued guidance encouraging agencies to use existing program data in new ways…” for the entire article, click here.
Government Executive Magazine Covers OMB Memo on Administrative Data Read More »
In a recent op-ed, The New York Times described today’s state of poverty and society’s gradual but evident steps towards progress to amend it. Although the issue of poverty has yet to be resolved, progress in repairing social problems has emerged in several identified areas. The report breaks this down into three categories. First, organizations
New York Times Reports Ways in Which Poverty is Being Addressed Read More »
The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy recently put out a call for letters of intent for a domestic Randomized Control Trial (RCT). The due date for these letters is February 14, 2014. Applicants will be notified prior to March 21, 2014 if they are invited to submit a full proposal. Three low-cost RCTs will be funded.
The Coalition for Evidence Based Policy Seeks Letters of Intent for RCT Read More »
A new study, Foster Youth Transitions, released by the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC), in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Social Science Research (CSSR), with funding from the Stuart Foundation, examines the educational outcomes of foster youth in comparison to peers from similar disadvantaged backgrounds. Foster youth often experience instability and
Breakthrough Study Finds Foster Youth Face Significant Academic Hurdles Read More »