Related event: Building Federal Evaluation Capacity: A Discussion of the New White House Evaluation and Learning Agenda Guidance, Wednesday, July 7.
Nick Hart, President of the Data Foundation, issued the following statement in response to new guidance (M-21-27) issued on June 30, 2021, by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to federal agencies on implementing Title 1 provisions of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018:
OMB’s new guidance on implementing the Evidence Act fully embraces President Biden’s policy goal that the United States government will “make evidence-based decisions guided by the best available science and data.” The broad applicability of OMB’s new guidance to the whole of government suggests the promise of coherent planning, leadership, capacity, and resources for generating actionable evidence that can both address policymaker needs and improve government services for the American people. OMB’s new guidance provides clarity for agencies and partners about the role of stakeholder engagement and coordination on data and evidence capabilities in order to generate useful evidence that is then actually used in practice.
The Data Foundation was pleased to support OMB’s development of this guidance, which also included feedback from two members of our Board of Directors and from four members of our Data Coalition Initiative. We applaud the Biden Administration’s leadership on implementation of the Evidence Act and the embrace of using data and evidence to improve decision-making. The Data Foundation and the members of our Data Coalition Initiative intend to enthusiastically support agency Evaluation Officers, Chief Data Officers, Statistical Officials, and senior leaders in effectively implementing the Evidence Act.
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About the Data Foundation: The Data Foundation is a non-profit think tank based in Washington, D.C. that seeks to improve government and society by using data to inform public policymaking. The Data Foundation’s research and educational activities proactively and rapidly address relevant, emerging data-related needs in the country with the goal of devising realistic solutions, accelerating policy coordination, and advancing innovation. The Data Foundation values diversity and transparency in pursuit of an equitable, data-informed society. www.datafoundation.org