2022 Federal Index
Leadership
Did the agency have senior staff members with the authority, staff, and budget to build and use evidence to inform the agency’s major policy and program decisions in FY22?
Score
9
9
Millennium Challenge Corporation
1.1 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s evaluation officer or equivalent (example: Evidence Act 313)?
- The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) managing director, designated in accordance with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, serves as MCC’s evaluation officer. The managing directorship is a career civil service position with the authority to execute M&E’s budget, an estimated $12,200,000 in due diligence funds in FY22, with a staff of twenty-five people.
1.2 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s chief data officer or equivalent [example: Evidence Act 202(e)]?
- The director of Data and Product Management in the Office of the Chief Information Officer is MCC’s chief data officer. Designated in accordance with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, the chief data officer manages a staff of three and an estimated FY22 budget of $6,500,000 in administrative funds.
1.3 Did the agency have a governance structure to coordinate the activities of its evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical officer, performance improvement officer, and other related officials in order to support Evidence Act Implementation and improve, and evaluate the agency’s major programs?
- The MCC Evaluation Management Committee (EMC) oversees decision-making, integration, and quality control of the agency’s evaluation and programmatic decision-making in accordance with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. The EMC integrates evaluation with program design and implementation to ensure that evaluations are designed and implemented in a manner that increases their utility to both MCC and in-country stakeholders and external stakeholders. It includes the agency’s evaluation officer, chief data officer, representatives from Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), the project lead, sector specialists, the economist, and gender and environmental safeguards staff. For each evaluation, the EMC has between eleven and sixteen meetings or touchpoints, from evaluation of scope of work to final evaluation publication. The EMC plays a key role in coordinating MCC’s Evidence Act implementation.
Score
9
9
U.S. Department of Education
1.1 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s Evaluation Officer or equivalent (example: Evidence Act 313)?
- The commissioner for the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) serves as the Department of Education (ED) evaluation officer. The Institute of Education Sciences is primarily responsible for education research, evaluation, and statistics. It employed approximately 150 full-time staff in FY22. The NCEE commissioner is responsible for planning and overseeing ED’s major evaluations and oversees 23 staff members. The NCEE does not have a dedicated evaluation budget. Instead, funds for evaluation come from a combination of (1) evaluation set-asides created in programs’ authorizing legislation, (2) authority created in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to reserve and/or pool appropriated funds for the purpose of evaluation, (3) national activities funds, and (4) individual appropriation bills.
1.2 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s chief data officer or equivalent [example: Evidence Act 202(e)]?
- The Department of Education has a designated chief data officer. The Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development’s (OPEPD) Office of the Chief Data Officer (OCDO) has grown from a staff of twelve in FY20 to a staff of thirty-three full-time employees and detailees in FY22.
- The Evidence Act provides a framework for OCDO’s responsibilities, which include life cycle data management and developing and enforcing data governance policies. The OCDO has oversight over ED’s information collection approval and associated Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance process. It is responsible for developing and enforcing ED’s open data plan, including management of a centralized comprehensive data inventory accounting for all data assets across ED. The OCDO is also responsible for developing and maintaining a technological and analytical infrastructure that is responsive to ED’s strategic data needs, exploiting traditional and emerging analytical methods to improve decision-making, optimize outcomes, and create efficiencies. These activities are carried out by the Governance and Strategy Division, which focuses on data governance, life cycle data management, and open data and the Analytics and Support Division, which provides data analytics and infrastructure responsive to ED’s strategic data. The current OCDO budget reflects the importance of these activities to ED leadership, with salary and expense funding allocated for data governance, data analytics, open data, and information clearances.
1.3 Did the agency have a governance structure to coordinate the activities of its evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical officer, performance improvement officer, and other related officials in order to support Evidence Act implementation and improve the agency’s major programs?
- The evaluation officer, chief data officer, and statistical officer meet monthly for the purposes of ensuring ongoing coordination of Evidence Act work. Each leader, or designee, also participates in the performance improvement officer’s Strategic Planning and Review process.
- The Evidence Leadership Group (ELG) supports program staff that run evidence-based grant competitions and monitor evidence-based grant projects. It advises ED leadership and staff on how evidence can be used to improve ED programs and provides support to staff in the use of evidence. It is co-chaired by the evaluation officer and the OPEPD director of grants policy. The statistical officer, evaluation officer, chief data officer, and performance improvement officer are ex-officio members of the ELG.
- The ED Data Governance Board (DGB) sponsors agency-wide actions to develop an open data culture and works to improve ED’s capacity to leverage data as a strategic asset for evidence building and operational decisions, including developing the capacity of data professionals in program offices. It is chaired by the chief data officer, with the statistical officer, evaluation officer, and performance improvement officer as ex officio members.
- The Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development advances the Secretary’s policy priorities including evidence, while IES is focused on (a) bringing extant evidence to policy conversations and (b) suggesting how evidence can be built as part of policy initiatives. It plays leading roles in the formation of ED’s policy positions as expressed through annual budget requests, grant competition priorities, including evidence. Both OPEPD and IES provide technical assistance to Congress to ensure that evidence appropriately informs policy design.
Score
9
9
U.S. Agency for International Development
1.1 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s Evaluation Officer or equivalent (example: Evidence Act 313)?
- In compliance with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, the administrator of USAID appointed the agency evaluation officer through an internal eExecutive message that was shared with the Agency on June 4, 2019.
- The agency’s evaluation officer is a senior staff member who works directly with the LER director, who, in conjunction with the OLER in the Bureau for PPL, helps the agency build a body of evidence from which to learn and adapt programs. The LER director has the authority, staff, and budget to ensure agency evaluation requirements are met, including that all projects are evaluated at some level, and that decision-making is informed by evaluation and evidence. The LER director oversaw approximately 40 staff and an estimated $8,800,000 budget in FY21.
- The Bureau for PPL aligns policy, resources, and evidence-based programming. It elevates evaluation as a source of evidence, through LER, by focusing on the agency’s ability and capability to generate, manage, and use evidence. The office performs a leadership role in the implementation of Title 1 of the Evidence Act, including the creation and development of the Agency Learning Agenda, the Annual Evaluation Plan, and the assessment of how USAID staff manage and use evidence in implementing policies and strategies. In 2022, the office developed and published a new Agency Learning Agenda that incorporated the Biden administration’s priorities.
1.2 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s Chief Data Officer (or equivalent)? (Example: Evidence Act 202(e))
- In compliance with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, USAID established the role of the chief data officer in 2019. The chief data officer manages the USAID Data Services team, which focuses on improving the usage of data and information to ensure that the agency’s development outcomes are supported and enhanced by evidence. The chief data officer’s team includes four direct hire data science and information technology professionals along with a budget for contract professionals who provide a comprehensive portfolio of data services in support of the agency’s mission. The chief data officer oversaw approximately 83 contract staff and an estimated $106,000,000 budget in 2022. The chief data officer is a senior career civil servant, and the USAID Data Services team is regularly called upon to generate products and services to support the agency’s highest priorities. The agency also invests in other complementary positions including the chief innovation officer, chief geographer, chief economist, chief scientist, and other key roles that enhance the use of evidence across the agency.
1.3 Did the agency have a governance structure to coordinate the activities of its evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical official, performance improvement officer, and other related officials in order to support Evidence Act Implementation and improve, and evaluate the agency’s major programs?
- The agency currently uses several governance structures and processes and will be updating these in accordance with guidance from the U.S Office of Management and Budget (OMB) related to the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. Some notable current examples include:
- Data Board: In September 2019, USAID established a Data Administration and Technical Advisory (DATA) Board, as mandated by the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act) and subsequent guidance from the OMB in Memoranda M-19-18 and M-19-23. The DATA Board acts as USAID’s data governance body. It serves as a central venue for seeking input from agency stakeholders regarding data-related priorities and best practices to support agency objectives. It informs data-related policy, procedures, and standards for the agency. It supports the work of the agency evaluation officer by directing data services to facilitate evaluations. In addition to the agency evaluation officer, chief data officer, and statistical official, its membership includes the performance improvement officer, the chief financial officer, the chief technology officer, the senior agency official for privacy, and the USAID geographer as well as broad representation from across the agency including overseas missions. The USAID chief data officer, agency evaluation officer, and statistical official confer regularly to coordinate policy and activities.
- Management Operations Council: The agency also uses a Management Operations Council as the platform for agency leadership to assess progress toward achieving the strategic objectives in USAID’s Strategic Plan and cross-agency priority goals and additional management issues. Established in 2014, the Management Operations Council provides agency-wide leadership for initiatives and investments to reform USAID business systems and operations worldwide. It also provides a platform for senior leaders to learn about and discuss improving organizational performance, efficiency, and effectiveness. It is cochaired by the assistant administrator for the Bureau for Management and the agency’s chief operating officer. Membership includes, among others, all the agency’s chief executive officers (e.g., senior procurement executive, chief human capital officer, chief financial officer, chief information officer, performance improvement officer, and project management improvement officer). Depending on the agenda, the council may also include the chief data officer, agency evaluation officer, and agency senior statistical official.
- Weekly/Monthly Meetings among the Chief Data Officer, Chief Evaluation Officer, and Statistical Official: The agency established a standing meeting among the chief data officer’s team and leadership from the Office of LER, which manages agency requirements on performance monitoring, evaluation and organizational learning. As this meeting predated the first meetings of the chief data officer council and chief evaluation officer council, it was critical for information sharing and addressing priorities. The CDOs team also maintains an internal dashboard that is shared with the evaluation officer and statistical official to help track progress against milestones on an ongoing basis.
- Privacy Council Meetings: The agency holds monthly Privacy Council meetings to address necessary actions and raise any privacy and confidentiality concerns. Representation includes the senior agency official for privacy, the agency statistical official, and the chief privacy officer, among others.
Score
9
9
AmeriCorps
1.1 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s evaluation officer or equivalent (example: Evidence Act 313)?
- The director of ORE serves as the AmeriCorps evaluation officer and oversees ORE’s FY22 $4,120,000 budget and a staff of 15. On average, the agency has invested between $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 in the ORE staff over the past 10 years. More information about ORE can be found here.
1.2 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s chief data officer or equivalent [example: Evidence Act 202(e)]?
- AmeriCorps hired its first chief data officer in FY21. The chief data officer began addressing long-standing data asset management priorities in FY22 including building the agency’s data analytics capacity as well as developing a process/structure to ensure coordination and collaboration across data integrity/management, data for performance and data for research and evaluation.
1.3 Did the agency have a governance structure to coordinate the activities of its evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical officer, performance improvement officer, and other related officials in order to support Evidence Act implementation and improve the agency’s major programs?
- AmeriCorps has a Research & Evaluation Council that meets monthly to assess progress in implementing the agency’s learning agenda and evaluation plan. Members of the council include the director of ORE, the chief information officer/chief data officer, and the chief of staff, as well as the chief of program operations and the chief operating officer.
Score
9
9
U.S. Department of Labor
1.1 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s Evaluation Officer or equivalent (example: Evidence Act 313)?
- The chief evaluation officer serves as the DOL evaluation officer. The chief evaluation officer oversees DOL’s Chief Evaluation Office, housed within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, and the coordination of department-wide evaluations, including office staff and leadership to interpret research and evaluation findings and to identify their implications for programmatic and policy decisions.
- The Chief Evaluation Office includes nine full-time staff plus a small number of contractors and one or two detailees. This staff is augmented by staff from research and evaluation units in other DOL agencies such as the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), which has six full-time employees dedicated to research and evaluation activities with which the chief evaluation officer coordinates extensively on the development of a learning agenda, management of studies, and dissemination of results.
- In FY22, the Chief Executive Office received a direct appropriation of $8,280,000; it may also receive up to 0.75%of funds from statutorily specified program accounts, based on the discretion of the Secretary.
1.2 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s chief data officer or equivalent [example: Evidence Act 202(e)]?
- Building on existing efforts initiated before the OPEN Government Data Act, the Secretary of Labor released Secretary’s Order (02-2019) directing the department to create a chief data officer position and a data governance board to help realize the strategic value in data, as well as to establish, coordinate, and manage policy, processes, and standards for data management. The chief data officer chairs DOL’s data governance body and leads data governance efforts; open data efforts; and associated efforts to collect, manage, and utilize data in a manner that best supports its use to inform program administration and foster data-informed decision-making and policymaking.
- The department has arranged for two permanent staff to support governance and open data efforts as well as compliance with the Evidence Act, the Federal Data Strategy, and DOL’s data governance goals.
1.3 Did the agency have a governance structure to coordinate the activities of its evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical officer, performance improvement officer, and other related officials in order to support Evidence Act implementation and improve the agency’s major programs?
- Through a Secretary’s Order, DOL has created a structure that coordinates and leverages the important roles within the organization to accomplish objectives like those in the Evidence Act. The Secretary’s Order mandates collaboration among the chief data officer, chief performance officer, chief evaluation officer, chief information officer, and chief statistical officer. This has allowed DOL’s evidence officials to more closely coordinate with both regular and ad hoc meetings. For example, in FY19, all four evidence officials reviewed DOL agency learning agendas and Evidence Act reports.
- The Secretary’s Order mandates a collaborative approach to reviewing information technology infrastructure and data asset accessibility; developing modern solutions for managing, disseminating and generating data; coordinating statistical functions; supporting evaluation, research, and evidence generation; and supporting all aspects of performance management including assurances that data are fit for purpose.
- The department continues to leverage current governance structures. (For example, the chief evaluation officer continues to play a role in the formation of the annual budget requests of DOL’s agencies, recommendations around including evidence in grant competitions, and providing technical assistance to the department leadership to ensure that evidence informs policy design.) There are a number of mechanisms set up to facilitate this process. The chief evaluation officer traditionally participates in quarterly performance meetings with DOL leadership and the Performance Management Center (PMC). The chief evaluation officer reviews agency operating plans and works with agencies and the PMC to coordinate performance targets and measures and evaluates findings. Quarterly meetings are held with agency leadership and staff as part of the Learning Agenda process, and meetings are held as needed to strategize around addressing new priorities or legislative requirements.
Score
9
9
Administration for Children and Families (HHS)
1.1 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s Evaluation Officer or equivalent (example: Evidence Act 313)?
- The deputy assistant secretary for planning, research, and evaluation at OPRE serves as the ACF chief evaluation officer. The deputy assistant secretary oversees OPRE, which supports evaluation and other learning activities across the agency. In FY22 the deputy assistant secretary oversaw a research and evaluation budget of approximately $156,000,000 . The office has 76 federal staff positions; OPRE staff are experts in research and evaluation methods and data analysis as well as ACF programs, policies, and the populations they serve. In June 2022, the director of the Division of Evidence, Evaluation, and Data Policy at the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation was named the chief evaluation officer of HHS, responsible for overseeing the HHS Evidence and Evaluation Council, which advises the HHS CEO on implementation of Title I of the Evidence Act.
1.2 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s chief data officer or equivalent? [example: Evidence Act 202(e)]?
- In September 2021, HHS named a chief data officer within the HHS Office of the Chief Information Officer. The HHS chief data officer chairs the HHS Data Governance Board, the body responsible for advising the HHS chief data officer and implementing the Title II Evidence Act activities across HHS. In 2020 the director of ACF’s Division of Data and Improvement was designated to act as the primary member to serve on the Data Governance Board and on the HHS Data Council, an HHS advisory body responsible for advising the Data Governance Board and the HHS Evidence and Evaluation Council.
- The Division of Data and Improvement (DDI) was established by ACF in 2016 to provide federal leadership and resources to improve the quality, use, and sharing of ACF data. The director reports to the deputy assistant secretary for planning, research, and evaluation and oversees work to assist ACF programs in responsibly managing and using data to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of human services programs. The division has twelve federal staff positions and an FY22 budget of approximately $7,500,000 (not including salaries).
1.3 Did the agency have a governance structure to coordinate the activities of its evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical officer, performance improvement officer, and other related officials in order to support Evidence Act implementation and improve the agency’s major programs?
- Since September 2019, ACF’s deputy assistant secretary for planning, research, and evaluation has served as the primary ACF representative to HHS’ Leadership Council and Evidence and Evaluation Council and oversees the director of the Division of Data and Improvement, who serves as the primary ACF representative to the HHS Data Governance Board and Data Council, collectively covering the HHS bodies responsible for implementing Evidence Act activities across HHS. These cross-agency councils meet regularly to discuss agency-specific needs and experiences and to collaboratively develop guidance for department-wide action.
- Within ACF, the 2016 reorganization that created the Division of Data and Improvement endowed ACF’s deputy assistant secretary for planning, research, and evaluation with oversight of the agency’s strategic planning; performance measurement and management; research and evaluation; statistical policy and program analysis; synthesis and dissemination of research and evaluation findings; data quality, usefulness, and sharing; and application of emerging technologies to improve the effectiveness of programs and service delivery. ACF reviews program office performance measures and associated data at least three times per year coincident with the budget process; OPRE has traditionally worked with ACF program offices to develop research plans on an annual basis and has worked to integrate the development of program-specific learning agendas into this process. In addition, OPRE holds both regular and ad hoc meetings with ACF program offices to discuss research and evaluation findings, as well as other data topics.
Score
9
9
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1.1 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s evaluation officer or equivalent (example: Evidence Act 313)?
- The director of the SAMHSA Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ), Office of Evaluation, serves as the agency’s evaluation lead with key evaluation staff housed in this division. The Office of Evaluation is responsible for providing centralized planning and management of SAMHSA’s program evaluations in partnership with the originating center’s program. This office has led the agency in the development of several resources and activities in support of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Evidence Act, including a Performance Monitoring Policy and Procedures document, an Evaluation Plan for FY 2023 (SAMHSA Report of Ongoing and Planned Evaluations for Fiscal Year 2023), and the creation of the SAMHSA Evidence and Evaluation Board, including a charter and confirmation of voting members. The purpose of the Evidence and Evaluation Board is to serve as the agency’s principal evaluation and evidence forum for managing its evaluation portfolio and its evaluation and evidence data and as a strategic asset to support SAMHSA in meeting its mission and agency priorities, including implementation of the Evidence Act.
1.2 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s chief data officer or equivalent [example: Evidence Act 202(e)]?
- The CBHSQ director serves as the chief data officer for SAMHSA, as articulated by the agency’s Evaluation of SAMHSA Programs and Policies. As director of CBHSQ, the chief data officer has a center budget that includes evidence building activities. The CBHSQ director is responsible for overseeing survey and surveillance datasets managed by SAMHSA and serves as a critical member of the Evidence and Evaluation Board.
1.3 Did the agency have a governance structure to coordinate the activities of its evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical officer, performance improvement officer, and other related officials in order to support Evidence Act implementation and improve the agency’s major programs?
- The SAMHSA Evidence and Evaluation Board (Section 4.11 of the SAMHSA Evaluation Policy and Procedure document) coordinates activities of the evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical officer, and performance improvement officers (in all centers and offices) and provides a structured environment to pursue alignment with the framework offered by the Evidence Act. The board meets every other month. Although the board is facilitated by the evaluation officer and the chief data officer, the vice chair position is a rotating one previously served by the director of the Office of Behavioral Health Equity, the Legislative Office, and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. The charter and the notes from each meeting are shared through SAMHSA’s intranet.
- The SAMHSA Evidence and Evaluation Board serves as the mechanism to both generate and disseminate knowledge and best practices relative to the requirement of the Evidence Act. For example, in FY2022, the Evidence and Evaluation Board enabled SAMHSA to work collaboratively across the agency to propose, refine, and approve the definition of “significant.” A similar process will be used to develop a set of standardized evaluation questions to be considered for all evaluation proposals including an examination of work related to behavioral workforce diversity and support for recovery and assessing the number of individuals trained and hired with lived experience.
- Through the coordination of the Evidence and Evaluation Board, SAMHSA will improve operations in several ways, including the development of a bank of evaluation questions and evaluation templates and a repository of past evaluations and evidence building activities. The agenda for each board meeting includes at least one item devoted to conveying best practices on a selected evaluation topic. Participating in the board and sharing each center’s and offices’ activities, cultivating collaboration, and leveraging existing resources across centers and offices also helps improve operations by reducing redundancy of effort.
Score
9
9
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
1.1 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s Evaluation Officer (or equivalent) (example: Evidence Act 313)?
- The general deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Policy Development & Research (PD&R) serves as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) evaluation officer. HUD’s PD&R, led by an assistant secretary and the career general deputy assistant secretary, comprises six offices, 177 staff including a team of field economists in HUD’s ten regional offices, and a budget of $105,000,000 in FY22. The deputy assistant secretary and evaluation officer ensures that evidence informs policy development through frequent personal engagement with other principal staff, the secretary, and external policy officials including consultation with Congress, speeches to policy audiences, sponsorship of public research briefings, and policy implications memoranda.
1.2 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s chief data officer or equivalent [example: Evidence Act 202(e)]?
- A senior career staff member in the PD&R serves as the acting chief data officer for HUD. The FY21 appropriations provided funding to staff the Office of the Chief Data Officer (OCDO) with 13 employees. The OCDO is responsible for agency-wide data management, including establishing the data governance structure, constructing data inventory, enhancing privacy protections, and opening data to the public.
- Additionally, the PD&R deputy assistant secretary for economic affairs within the Office of Policy Development and Research serves as a statistical official. The statistical official oversees HUD survey results and supports OCDO in developing the data asset catalog and implementing data policy. The two senior leaders are responsible for numerous data infrastructure functions such as collecting and analyzing national housing market data (including survey collaborations with the Census Bureau); developing income limits and factors to support program operations; advising and assisting program offices with the development and analysis of administrative data collections; and supporting data linkages and developing open data products from administrative data, including geospatial data products that are crucial for addressing housing and urban development policy challenges.
1.3 Did the agency have a governance structure to coordinate the activities of its evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical officer, performance improvement officer, and other related officials in order to support Evidence Act implementation and improve the agency’s major programs?
- As a central office to support the department with policy-relevant information and research since its establishment in 1973, PD&R continues to lead HUD’s full implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. All three of the key leadership positions required by the Evidence Act —the evaluation officer, chief data officer, and statistical official—are held by members of the PD&R staff. Staff of PD&R have engaged and coordinated its evidence-building efforts required by Evidence Act, which include developing HUD’s Annual Evaluation Plan, agency-wide Capacity Assessment, and Learning Agenda. In the Learning Agenda for FY22-26, HUD has focused on aligning research and evaluation plans with its strategic goals and integrating equity elements into all agency-wide work. In developing its evidence-building publications, PD&R has actively engaged the academic community, practitioners, and policymakers for input and support.
Score
9
9
Administration for Community Living (HHS)
1.1 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s evaluation officer or equivalent (example: Evidence Act 313)?
- The director of OPE serves as the ACL evaluation officer. Responsible for overseeing the agency’s performance and evaluation work, OPE has seven full time staff positions and three full-time onsite contractors. The ACL OPE budget for evaluation was $9,600,000 in FY22. The director of OPE has the education, skill, and experience to meet the evaluation officer requirements listed in the Evidence Act and routinely gauges the coverage, quality, methods, consistency, effectiveness, independence, and balance of the portfolio of evaluations, policy research, and ongoing evaluation activities of the agency as well as agency capacity to support the development and use of evaluation. The director is also the designated ACL performance officer.
1.2 Did the agency have a senior leader with the budget and staff to serve as the agency’s Chief Data Officer or equivalent? [Example: Evidence Act 202(e)]?
- The director of OPE serves as ACL’s chief data officer. The director of OPE leads ACL’s data governance body, including facilitating collaborative activities among the numerous actors with responsibilities and needs for data within the agency; has demonstrated training and experience in data management, governance, collection, analysis, protection, use, and dissemination; and fulfills the aspects of this role that are relevant to ACL. These include coordinating with ACL’s chief information officer and chief privacy officer on use, protection, dissemination, and generation of data to ensure that the data needs of the agency are met; ensuring that agency data conform with data management best practices; engaging agency employees, the public, and contractors in using public data assets; and encouraging collaborative approaches on improving data use. The director of OPE also acts as the agency liaison to other federal entities through, for example, serving as the ACL representative to the HHS data council, and serving on the Federal Interagency Council on Evaluation Policy as well as the HHS Data Governance Board.
1.3 Did the agency have a governance structure to coordinate the activities of its evaluation officer, chief data officer, statistical officer, performance improvement officer, and other related officials in order to support Evidence Act implementation and improve the agency’s major programs?
- The director of OPE serves the functions of evaluation officer, chief data officer, and performance officer. In order to coordinate activities relevant to these positions, the OPE director and staff coordinate the support, improvement, and evaluation of agency programs through implementation of an agency performance strategy, learning agenda, annual agency-wide evaluation plan, and through the National Institute for Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. This structure requires semiannual meetings with ACL leadership and management staff and annual consultation with all program managers. In FY19 ACL instituted a council to improve its data governance and quality, including the development of improved processes and standards for defining, collecting, reviewing, certifying, analyzing, and presenting data collected by ACL through its evaluations, grant reporting, and other administrative data collections. This robust governance structure ensures cohesive collection and use of evidence across ACL regarding program performance, evaluation, and improvement. It also ensures that data are gathered, processed, and curated so as to produce evidence that program staff and agency leadership use for program and operational improvement. As an operating division without a statistical unit, ACL does not have a statistical officer.