FEDERAL INDEX AND 2016 POLICY PLAYBOOK PROVIDE ROADMAP FOR USING DATA, EVIDENCE AND EVALUATION TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES; RFA ALSO NAMES BOSTON MAYOR MARTIN WALSH TO BIPARTISAN MONEYBALL ALL-STAR TEAM
Results for America (RFA) today released two new reports designed to highlight successful evidence-based efforts at the federal level in 2015 and make investing in what works a winning issue in 2016. The new reports are RFA’s 2016 Policy Playbook, “Invest in What Works: How to Solve Our Nation’s Great Challenges” and RFA’s fourth federal “Invest in What Works Index,” that showcases the extent to which six federal departments and agencies are investing in what works.
“When it comes to so many of our nation’s great social challenges, progress is within our reach. We know more than ever before about what works for young people, their families and communities, and across the country there is growing bipartisan momentum behind shifting public funds toward evidence-based solutions,” said Michele Jolin, CEO and Co-Founder of Results for America. “These new reports not only highlight the innovative ways federal departments and agencies are investing in what works, they also provide a roadmap for how candidates, policymakers and government leaders from across the political spectrum can use data and evidence to improve lives – in 2016 and beyond.
2016 Policy Playbook
RFA released today its 2016 Policy Playbook which recommends that the next president of the United States commit to a policy agenda that includes:
- Building more evidence so that government decisions can be based on increasingly sophisticated knowledge, including clarifying evidence to determine what works, for whom, and in what situations;
- Investing federal dollars based on evidence and data, steering public dollars toward programs that improve outcomes, and increasing investments where evidence of effectiveness is clear; and
- Redirecting public resources away from interventions that consistently fail to achieve desired results.
Invest in What Works Index
RFA also released today its fourth federal “Invest in What Works Index.” This index highlights the extent to which six federal departments and agencies – the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Agency for International Development, Administration for Children and Families (within HHS), Corporation for National and Community Service, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – are currently building the infrastructure to use data, evidence and evaluation in budget, policy, and management decisions. RFA’s previous federal indexes were released in June 2013, September 2013 and May 2014. Click here to read more.
Both reports will be issued later today at a Moneyball for Government event at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government featuring former White House Office of Management and Budget Directors Peter Orszag (Obama) and Jim Nussle (G.W. Bush), co-editors of the national bestselling book Moneyball for Government. This event can be viewed live online starting at 6:00pm ET here.
Moneyball for Government All-Star
RFA today also announced Boston Mayor Martin Walsh as its newest Moneyball for Government All-Star in recognition of his strong commitment to the Moneyball for Government principles.
About Results for America
Results for America is improving outcomes for young people, their families, and communities by shifting public resources toward solutions that use evidence and data to improve quality and get better results.
In November, 2014, Results for America published Moneyball for Government, the national bestselling book that brings together a group of bipartisan leaders to make the case for government at all levels to inform policy and funding decisions by the best possible data, evidence and evaluation about what works.