Results for America Senior Advisor Calls for Greater Use of Data and Evidence at U.S. House Ways & Means Subcommittee Hearing

JOHN BRIDGELAND, FORMER WHITE HOUSE DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL DIRECTOR UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, TESTIFIED AT HEARING ON INVESTING IN WHAT WORKS

WASHINGTON – Today, at a hearing before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Human Resources, John Bridgeland, Results for America senior advisor, former White House Domestic Policy Council Director under President George W. Bush and former member of the White House Council for Community Solutions under President Barack Obama called for greater use of data and evidence to help young people, their families and communities. The hearing was convened by Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany (R-LA) and titled “Expanding Opportunity by Funding What Works: Using Evidence to Help Low-Income Individuals and Families Get Ahead.” The hearing is the second in a series “focused on ways to help move America’s families forward” according to the Committee.

In his prepared testimony, Bridgeland highlighted how now is an opportune moment to invest in evidence and for government to fund what works, saying, “Given the opportunity gaps in our society, the millions of vulnerable children and families in our country, and the progress that we are seeing in areas where clear goals are set, plans of action are developed, and evidence-based reforms are marshaled, the time could not be better to put evidence at the center of policymaking.” For the rest of Bridgeland’s testimony, click here.

Bridgeland used the platform as a witness before Congress to highlight Results for America’s Moneyball principles, which call on governments at all levels to: 1) build evidence about the practices, policies, and programs that will achieve the most effective and efficient results; 2) invest limited taxpayer dollars in what works; and 3) direct funds away from those practices, policies and programs that consistently fail to achieve measurable outcomes. He also detailed six recommendations to build a stronger evidence base for what works, use evidence to invest in what works, and redirect funding away from what does not work. They are:

1. Set Aside 1 Percent of Program Funds For Evaluation at Each Federal Department and Agency;
2. Create Comprehensive, Easy-to-Use “What Works” Clearinghouses at Each Federal Department and Agency;
3. Encourage the Use of Rapid, Low-Cost Tools to Determine Impact;
4. Use Evidence to Invest Limited Tax Dollars in What Works;
5. Direct Funds Away From What Consistently Fails to Achieve Desired Outcomes; and
6. Create an Environment of Continuous Learning.

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.