WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association (NGA) today announced that six states—Arizona, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia—will participate in a learning lab on improving the use of data in policymaking.
Increasingly, governors are using data to drive more informed decision making and govern more effectively. States are using a variety of strategies to harness that data and evidence to deliver results to the people of their states. Those strategies include:
- Setting measurable goals that cut across agency and programmatic silos;
- Collecting and reviewing data to track progress and identify strategies for improvement; and
- Incorporating data and evidence to assess policies and processes.
“While our state has already taken significant steps to improve the quality and efficiency of government, Maryland will benefit from seeing how other states use data to drive policy,” said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. “Our performance improvement team will gain new insights by observing firsthand other systems of accountability and data-driven decision making. Learning best practices from other states and collaborating with the National Governors Association will greatly speed our own efforts to improve government processes and deliver results to Marylanders.”
Learning labs provide an opportunity for a limited number of state teams to visit a state that is successfully putting an innovative practice in place. This four-month opportunity from NGA will include a meeting in the state of Washington and help selected states develop effective practices that use data to address policy issues and build a culture of learning.
To learn more about NGA’s Economic, Human Services and Workforce Division, click here.
