California recognized for its data and evidence-based practices
Exciting news — Results for America named California an honorable mention state in their 2022 What Works State Standard of Excellence!
A framework for states on data and evidence
Results for America is a national organization that supports the use of data and evidence in government to invest in what works. Every year they take nominations for practices aligned with their State Standard of Excellence. Standards like this help states develop a shared framework and learning community on accelerating data and evidence. It also provides a chance for us to recognize and celebrate our leading practices in California.
CalData led California’s submission, soliciting and compiling many incredible examples from across the state.
A big thank you to all those who participated — there are too many to call out individually, but you know who you are :) Because of you this year is the first time California has been featured as a stand-out state!
California highlights
Below are just a few of the highlights from California. Read our full profile to learn more:
- The growth of innovation and data culture, including through the Office of Data and Innovation, CalHHS’s Center for Data Innovation and Insights, and OPR’s CA Education Learning Lab and Advanced Precision Medicine Institute efforts.
- Data sharing frameworks including the IDEA guidebook and CalHHS Data Exchange Framework.
- Data infrastructure projects like Cradle-to-Career, the Homeless Data Integration System, and CAAL-Skills.
- Evaluation and research initiatives coming out of the California Workforce Development Board, Public Health’s Tobacco Control Program, the Department of Education, Air Resources Board, and the K-16 Collaborative grant program.
- Tools and resources like the Racial Equity Resources Hub and Technical Assistance Guidelines from the Strategic Growth Council.
“We are excited to recognize California for their progress building and using data and evidence,” said Pete Bernardy, State Practice Lead at Results for America. “This important work is helping the state deliver better results for California residents.”
The 2022 Standard is also a great opportunity to learn about cool work going on in other states. We are particularly inspired by:
- Maryland’s Department of Human Services MD THINK, a cloud-based platform for multiple state agencies to share and manage data.
- Connecticut’s creation of an Evaluation and Evidence Unit to coordinate the evaluation of its ARPA investments.
What’s left and what’s next
While we look forward to participating next year, we also know this state standard doesn’t represent everything California is and does on data. Below are some areas that we will continue to focus on:
- How we approach things like data maturity, performance management and evidence criteria. CalData has many thoughts on these topics that we have shared/will be sharing shortly :)
- New approaches to problems will naturally fall outside of predefined criteria. We should celebrate those too and if appropriate incorporate them into the state standard over time.
- Projects that are in active development or don’t quite meet some dimension of the criteria. We look forward to highlighting some of these in shoutouts and case studies. Be sure to follow this blog to hear all about it!
If you already know of anything that might be a good fit for next year, or have any other thoughts, please do let us know.
