Since 2023, J-PAL North America and Results for America have combined our expertise in evidence-based policymaking to train more than 85 state and local jurisdictions through the Leveraging Evaluation and Evidence for Equitable Recovery (LEVER) program. The program sought to use the historic level of federal funding to strengthen the capacity of governments to use data and evaluation in their decision-making. LEVER participants built knowledge and skills through a range of offerings—including Training Sprints, Evaluation Incubators, office hours, workshops, and convenings—to leverage data, evaluation, and evidence to advance effective and equitable government programming for generations to come.
Through this series of customized programming, LEVER participants have:
Results for America led two ten-week virtual engagements for teams of government leaders interested in embedding evaluation into their decision-making processes. A total of nineteen government jurisdictions learned how to identify and use rigorous evidence, develop or strengthen their agencies’ evaluation policies, and build capacity to develop future evaluations. Access the Evaluation Policy Guide, which was developed using the Training Sprint’s programming.
The Evaluation Incubator provided in-depth support for government agencies that were interested in rigorously evaluating their programs through randomized evaluations. Led by J-PAL North America, nine government jurisdictions received training, one-on-one assistance from staff, flexible funding, and connections to academic researchers to develop their evaluations. Learn more about the 2024 Incubator Partners.
LEVER Workshops focused on identifying strengths and opportunities around evidence and evaluation capacity. A total of 65 jurisdictions participated in these workshops, which were held in May 2023. Participating state and local leaders learned basic concepts and actionable best practices for building evidence and evaluation capacity, enabling them to develop key foundations for evaluation, like data use and measurement, community engagement, and partnership building. Access the workshop materials.
Results for America staff presented to over 200 attendees at the GFOA Annual Conference in June 2024. In a “Budgeting for Equity” workshop, government leaders explored examples and strategies for building a budget framework that focuses on using evidence to deliver better and more equitable outcomes in their communities.
J-PAL North America and Results for America staff conducted consultations with 21 government jurisdictions to review evidence use, evaluations, and LEVER program offerings. Consultations served as a starting place for jurisdictions seeking to learn more about how to use evidence and evaluation in their own programs.
The LEVER Virtual Convening held in February 2024 brought together over 65 government leaders and decision makers representing 33 different jurisdictions to discuss and learn from the evaluation experiences shared in the panel presentations. The topics covered included:
The Evaluation Policy Guide, developed from Training Sprint programming, presents the key lessons learned from federal, state, and local government policies that encourage and shape the use of evidence to improve the impact of government spending. The guide contains:
Access the recordings, resources, and tools used during the two-part LEVER workshop series to learn more about the evidence and evaluation framework and how to apply it to your own organization.
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