Facilitating the Use of Data and Evidence Among Government Agencies

We’re helping federal agencies build learning agendas and evaluation plans. This recent webinar series and summary report reflect the array of strategies federal agencies used to create and implement evidence-building and evaluation plans (that is, learning agendas) in response to the Evidence Act. Mathematica experts have also partnered with Grant Thornton Public Sector and ABS Group to support the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in building a strong evaluation capability and evidence base to support data-driven programming, policies, decisions, and resource allocations. We will provide expert knowledge and experience to conceptualize, plan, and conduct program evaluations, as well as other types of analyses and data collection efforts linked to CISA’s learning agenda and evaluation plan. Our partnership extends to work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Division of Data and Improvement, where we’re helping respond to opportunities created by the Evidence Act.

Together with our federal partners, we’re bringing our knowledge of policy and practice to agencies looking to build their capabilities in generating, interpreting, and applying evidence. Our team has also:

• Offered insights to the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building describes the challenges and opportunities inherent in using data and evidence to support informed decision making.
• Helped improve program outcomes via evidence-based technical assistance through initiatives known as Project IMPROVE and Project AWESOME. We're helping state, tribal, and local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families agencies embed evaluation and learning into decisions about policy and practice.
• Created the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse, which identifies projects that aim to improve employment outcomes, reduce employment challenges, and support self-sufficiency for individuals with low incomes. The Clearinghouse features a user-friendly website that provides tools and products to help policymakers assess the overall state of the evidence.
• Collaborated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the DQ (Data Quality) Atlas, a new tool for policymakers, analysts, researchers, and other stakeholders who want to use administrative data to conduct insightful, methodologically sound analyses of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. An interactive web-based tool, DQ Atlas gives users accurate, extensive information on the quality of program data on enrollment, claims, expenditures, and service use.
• Worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to develop a rapid-cycle evaluation framework for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training funds. Together with our FNS partners, we will explore how technical assistance and data collection might help states determine readiness for work.

We’ve developed partnerships to help state and local governments improve programs. When using data and evidence to improve programs, state and local governments face challenges, such as complex regulatory environments, limited fiscal and staff resources, and shifting political environments, which can undermine sustainable change. We’re working with human services and workforce agencies in Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Vermont, and Pennsylvania, among others, to introduce a change management framework known as Learn, Innovate, Improve (LI²). Here are some examples of how we’re partnering with state and local governments:

• Colorado leads the way in identifying and improving innovations in its human services programs. Our team examined services offered through a partnership between the Office of Economic Development and Denver Public Schools to provide career and educational support to out-of-school youth. We also assessed the extent to which services incorporated features of evidence-informed interventions. In addition, with support from the state, Mathematica developed an assessment tool to improve policies and programs using evidence. 
• A podcast interview with Katherine Klosek from the Center for Government Excellence at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, examined her digital book, A Roadmap for Policy Change, which provides a step-by-step guide for time-strapped government officials who still want the best available information about potential solutions that use evidence related to challenges in their communities.
• In collaboration with JBS International, our experts use quantitative and qualitative data to answer evaluation questions intended to provide information on the most promising strategies for preventing and treating opioid use disorder.