In an era of tight budgets and complex challenges, policymakers and philanthropies have the opportunity to use evidence-based policies to drive better outcomes and save taxpayer dollars, Laura and John Arnold, Arnold Ventures’ founders and co-chairs, write in a joint op-ed for Route Fifty with Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
This piece follows a public announcement of the Colorado Partnership for Proven Initiatives and lays out a compelling vision about how lawmakers across the country should use research to help determine which programs are succeeding.
“A growing body of research around the real-world outcomes of initiatives and investments has provided the equivalent of GPS for policymakers, charting a clear path to ideas that have been proven to work — ideas ready to scale and implement,” they write.
Through this pioneering partnership between the State of Colorado and Arnold Ventures, the state is aligning its budget with evidence, backing programs that are proven to boost education, health, and economic mobility. This includes a $10 million philanthropic investment that will be matched by public funds to expand high-impact, evidence-based programs.
The partnership is already working on replicating the successful City University of New York system’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs student success initiative at Lamar Community College and Colorado Mountain College, providing comprehensive academic, financial, and personal support for low-income students to successfully earn two-year associate degrees.
“With data, innovation and collaboration, we can continue to best deliver for Coloradans,” they write. “We want to lead by example, encouraging more dialogue between state leaders around the most promising investments so that others can replicate them.
Read the full op-ed here: The Colorado model: Leveraging research and data to guide investments and drive outcomes
