The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative in Salt Lake County, Utah

This page was updated on May 23, 2019 to note the conclusion of the county’s work with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative.

Background

In June 2017, the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative partnered with Salt Lake County, Utah, to improve the county’s program inventory efforts. The county was developing an inventory of its education programs and saw this partnership as an avenue to bolster its existing work. Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams issued a letter of support for implementing the Results First approach. He noted the opportunity to improve upon the existing inventory and better use evidence-based programming to boost education outcomes

Implementation

Results First provided technical assistance to the Salt Lake County Human Services Department to expand upon its program inventory. Before this partnership began, the department was developing an inventory of the county’s Supporting Education programs. Results First strengthened these efforts by assisting the county in using the Results First Clearinghouse Database to determine the level of evidence in the department’s programs. This additional analysis allowed the county to make informed decisions and increased its awareness of evidence-based policymaking.

Salt Lake County committed to using the findings to better understand where education resources are spent and direct them toward the most effective programs. The work was an important foundation as the county education committee’s policymaking decisions sought to improve outcomes, from kindergarten readiness to adult education.