Increasing the Use of Clearinghouses: A State and Local Government Perspective

• In Event: Roundtable: Improving the Quality and Utilization of Evidence-Based Registries

Abstract

Clearinghouses have the potential to play a key role in promoting evidence-based policymaking at the state and local level. By systematically reviewing rigorous evaluations and presenting the findings in a consistent and relatively clear manner, they provide policymakers with an efficient way to find information on the effectiveness of programs. This is crucial as states and localities often lack the resources to conduct rigorous evaluations of their programs or methodologically sift through and analyze the research base themselves. Nevertheless, the clearinghouses are underutilized. First, policymakers and their staff generally aren’t aware that they exist. Second, many clearinghouses don’t contain all of the information of interest to policymakers, such as program costs and what programs are harmful. Third, each clearinghouse has its own mission, employs a distinct methodology for analyzing programs and uses different nomenclature for its ratings (‘model’, ‘promising’, ‘positive’, etc.). These differences are not well-understood by policymakers. More importantly, they make it nearly impossible for them to compare and contrast ratings across multiple clearinghouses in a meaningful way. This presentation will detail these challenges, as well as offer recommendations on how to facilitate and foster the use of clearinghouses.

Author

• Karen Lyons, The Pew Charitable Trusts