Essential Elements: Bridge to the Research Community

Celebrating the Fifth Anniversary of the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab! This post is part of our special blog series to mark the fifth anniversary of the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab. In each post, we highlight elements that are essential to our work with a broad range of government and community partners. The effectiveness […]

Spotlight: External Research Partners

The Colorado Lab is excited to highlight two external research partners, Dr. Alena Clark and Dave Anderson! They join more than 70 skilled, passionate researchers we have had the pleasure of partnering with on diverse projects over the past 5 years. Bridge to the Research Community Watch for the next post in our special blog […]

Runaway Foster Youth: Child Protection Ombudsman Task Force

The Timothy Montoya Task Force to Prevent Children from Running Away from Out-of-Home Placement was established by House Bill 22-1375 for the purpose of analyzing the root causes of why children run away from out-of-home placement. The Colorado Lab conducted focus groups with children in out-of-home placement and young adults under 22 who aged out […]

Early Childhood Evaluation Hub Launches

Between 2021 and 2022, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) received over $465 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and ARPA Child Care and Development Fund supplemental discretionary award funding. This stimulus funding is focused on strategies to strengthen and expand the early childhood sector in Colorado and support families and the […]

Congratulations to Dr. Whitney LeBoeuf on Appointment to ECLC

Our congratulations to Dr. Whitney LeBoeuf, Director of Data Integration & Analytics for the Colorado Lab, on being appointed by the Governor to serve on the Early Childhood Leadership Commission! Together with Susan Steele, Dr. LeBoeuf co-chairs the Data Subcommittee which aims to promote the sharing and use of data for planning and accountability by […]

Essential Elements: Prioritize Relationships & Learn Together

Early on, we learned the importance of meeting our partners where they are. We listen carefully, supporting them to unpack ideas and gain insights on factors—big and small—that might serve to accelerate or shut down learning, improvement, and change efforts. Surfacing these types of details requires trust, which is why our top priority—always—is relationship-building. Part […]

Colorado Lab Celebrates 5-Year Milestone

Colorado Lab Celebrates 5-Year Milestone Policy Lab Comes to Colorado The creation and launch of the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab in 2017 positioned Colorado at the forefront of a growing movement to implement an evidence-based approach to governing. Policy labs are typically positioned in universities to supply governmental partners with relevant and timely research evidence […]

Evaluation of Colorado Lab Support Provided to RISE Grantees

Laib Evaluation gathered feedback from RISE-funded and Colorado Lab-supported sites to better understand their experiences and to share learnings with funders, partners, and potential partner organizations. Evaluation results were overwhelmingly positive and are being used by the Colorado Lab to identify opportunities for improvement. Results show that the Colorado Lab facilitated collaboration across project teams […]

Centennial BOCES: Helping Migrant Families Thrive

The Centennial Board of Cooperative Educational Services (Centennial BOCES) administers the largest Migrant Education Program (MEP) in Colorado, serving over 2,500 students in North Central and Northeast school districts and communities. Centennial BOCES secured RISE funding to address the unique needs of families in rural communities exacerbated by the pandemic (see earlier story). The Colorado […]

Montrose County School District: Supporting Student Wellness and Engagement

Montrose County School District directed RISE funds toward strengthening their Student Wellness and Engagement (SWE) program, building a tiered system of support to ensure students have their social-emotional needs met. The RISE funding supported the district in its work to develop a referral process and support systems to increase access to mental health resources in […]