State governments collect large amounts of data as they manage a wide range of public programs. Compiling data, however, is not the same as harnessing it. Pew’s research focuses on identifying the extent to which states are leveraging their data to inform policy, budgeting, and operational decision-making. Because the field is so new, no comprehensive source of information exists about how states are using data analytics to drive policy decisions and whether they face common challenges. As states consider how best to invest their resources, state leaders will benefit from research on how their counterparts across the country are using data as a strategic asset to make better decisions.
Our Work
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Data Sharing Helps Reduce Number of Homeless Veterans
As veterans transition to civilian life, often after serving overseas in conflicts and wars, many confront a new battle: homelessness. During the 2007-09 Great Recession and the slow recovery that followed, a disturbing spike in the number of homeless veterans emerged as a national crisis. Although veterans represented 10 percent of the adult population in 2010, they comprised 16 percent of... Read More
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Analytics Help Boost College Applications
How can states help ensure that students equipped to succeed in college actually enroll? Encouraged by the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top (RTTT) grant program, which aimed to advance education reforms and prepare students to succeed in college, Delaware’s Department of Education (DOE) used data it had already collected to find an answer to that question. Read More
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A Robust Vision for Using Data in Government
State and local governments collect data in amounts that almost defy description -- everything from health outcomes and marriage records to crime statistics and Head Start enrollments. Much of this data collection is required by federal or state law, and some is compiled at the initiative of individual agencies. Read More
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Opinion
The Barriers to Shared Data and How to Overcome Them
Promising new approaches have emerged to overcome rules that inhibit the sharing of information critical to evidence-based policymaking
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Issue Brief
Better Programs, Better Results
Rigorous Quality Assurance Ensures that Washington State's Evidence-Based Programs Produce Expected Results
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Issue Brief
Program Assessment: Identifying what works in your state or locality
Identifying what works in your state or locality
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Issue Brief
