Blog
2021 Legislative Session: Building Evidence to Effectively Implement Policy Wins
Colorado Lab projects underway to effectively implement policy wins from the 2021 legislative session.
The Colorado Lab supported the Governor’s Office of Information Technology in its first-ever Smart Data Summit in November 2018. The event brought together Colorado state agency leadership and staff to discuss how to maximize the value of data to improve the lives of Coloradans.
Speakers included Colorado Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne; Jon Gottsegen, Chief Data Officer at OIT; and Kathy Stack, former Vice President at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation and Advisor for Evidence-Based Innovation in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
Dr. Kristin Klopfenstein (at mic, right) moderated a panel on how data sharing improves the lives of Colorado residents. Panelists included Chris Underwood, Director of the Health Information Office at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing; Alison George, Director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs Division of Housing; and Kellie Wasko, Deputy Executive Director at the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Kristin reflected on the panel’s lively exchange: “Health care, housing, and corrections influence the lives of so many people in our state. It was exciting to hear the many ways that these departments are working together to improve the way state government serves Colorado residents.”
The event also included a State Data Initiatives Showcase, including a new state initiative supported by the Colorado Lab to create a linking hub for research and analytics called the Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC). Whitney LeBouef, the Colorado Lab’s Director of Data Integration and Analytics, played an important role in the event, including helping secure funding from the National Governor’s Association.
Colorado Lab projects underway to effectively implement policy wins from the 2021 legislative session.
Colorado Lab studies informed an array of legislation in this year’s session, including bills that were passed to strengthen care and learning for preschoolers and increase pathways to high school graduation. Our efforts included working with partners to conduct research studies, providing expert testimony, and evaluating the effectiveness of models.
With funding support from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds (RISE) and implementation support from the Colorado Lab, Centennial BOCES, home to the state’s largest Migrant Education Program, is addressing many of the pandemic-caused education, economic, social, and health challenges that have affected so many students, families, schools, and districts, especially in rural communities.