California

California’s Department of Health Care Services has a performance dashboard initiative that aggregates enrollment, client demographic, access, and coverage data. The information is also available on the California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal. California’s Department of Social Services uses the Cal-OAR system to continuously improve county-based CalWORKs programs by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating outcomes and best practices. The California Department of Education’s California School Dashboard documents state and local education performance. The state indicators include: academic information, English learner progress, chronic absenteeism, graduation rate, suspension rate, and college/career readiness.

Issue Areas: COVID-19, Economic Mobility, Education, Health

The California FY21-22 Budget establishes and supports the state’s first-ever Chief Equity Officer within the Government Operations Agency (GovOps), which will build upon and implement the work of the California Leads Taskforce. The Chief Equity Officer will develop a uniform framework for creating equitable policies, practices, and metrics for hiring and procurement. The budget establishes the Racial Equity Advisory Council, which will advise GovOps in developing statewide policies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the state workforce. The Administration will continue to work with the Legislature this summer to finalize the creation of the Council.

To further this work, the GovOps agency has also been tasked with creating the first-ever statewide strategic five-year plan to transform government operations. 

GovOps conducted a two-and-half day workshop on designing rigorous evaluations in partnership with The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). Eight state teams attended, including groups from multiple entities in California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS), California Department of Human Resources (CalHR), the state treasurer, department of motor vehicles, California Department of Transportation (CalTran), Strategic Growth Council, water boards, department of conservation, and the state library. GovOps will use participant survey results to inform future training on evaluation.

The California Governor spoke about the importance of data systems at the inaugural board meeting for the Cradle-to-Career Data system.

Issue Areas: Economic Mobility, Education, Equity, Health, Workforce

In 2020, California launched the California COVID-19 Assessment Tool to identify potential COVID-19 hotspots, predict which hospitals might reach capacity, and proactively allocate resources to such hotspots. This innovative assessment tool is a “model of models,” which incorporates the statistical projections of several leading research institutions. Notably, the assessment tool allows residents to create their own scenarios for transmission potential in the coming months, depending on specific public health guidelines. Further, California released the source data sets on California’s Open Data Portal, allowing the public to examine the data underlying the assessment tool.

The California Government Operations Agency (GovOps), an umbrella organization for the state’s innovation work, is designed to institutionalize policies, tools, and training that can drive its mission to modernize the processes of government through Lean process improvement, data, leadership, and performance improvement. GovOps brings together statewide initiatives such as the Lean Academy, California Leadership Academy, the Office of Digital Innovation, and California’s Open Data Portal resources. As well, the California Health and Human Services Agency has a Center for Data Insights and Innovation that focuses on improving programs and services through the use of tools such as human-centered design and data analytics.

Issue Areas: COVID-19, Health

In 2020, California appointed a new Chief Data Officer. This position is responsible for creating data strategies that improve programs statewide and lead to better outcomes, with a particular focus on connecting traditionally siloed data. Since 2020, the Chief Data Officer, a position in the California Government Operations Agency, created the CalData: California’s Data Strategy 2020, the California Open Data Policy, and the California Open Data Portal.

California’s statewide Open Data Policy encourages departments to share data in standard and accessible formats through the California Open Data Portal. As outlined in the California Open Data Handbook, the state’s open data efforts are designed to improve collaboration, expand transparency, encourage innovation, and increase effectiveness. In addition, the state hosts CalData, a professional network for government officials and partners to promote the best uses of open data.

In spring 2021, all entities under the authority of the Governor of California signed a single Interagency Data Exchange Agreement (IDEA), an umbrella memorandum of understanding (MOU) that is intended to facilitate data exchange between state entities in California. It is both a process tool and a set of resources designed to help state entities exchange data more efficiently, while ensuring that the exchange is legal and secure. Under IDEA, signatory entities draft a Business Use Case Proposal (BUCP) that details the specifics of their data exchange. IDEA is supported by detailed handbooks, community of practice, and resource library.

In summer 2021, California began creating the Cradle-to-Career System, which will be a suite of user-friendly resources focused on early learning through K-12 and higher education, as well as on the financial aid and social services that help students reach their goals. It will include:

• Planning and application tools for students, families, and educators to streamline the college and financial aid processes and monitor student progress.
• Dashboards, query tools, and an analytical data set for researchers, policymakers, educators, and community members to inform research, advocacy, and policy analysis.
• Community engagement and training to raise awareness of the data system and ensure it can be used by students, families, educators, researchers, and policymakers.

In spring 2021, the state launched the first of its kind integrated data system for people experiencing homelessness. Through this dashboard, California policymakers and the public can understand and create novel insights of people experiencing homelessness to end homelessness.

Issue Areas: Child Welfare, Education, Economic Mobility, Equity, Workforce

The California Department of Social Services created the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare, which allows child welfare providers and professionals to “identify, select, and implement evidence-based child welfare practices that will improve child safety, increase permanency, increase family and community stability, and promote child and family well-being.” This tool helps identify evidence-based practices and provides guidance and support for program implementation. The clearinghouse’s numerical rating scale categorizes programs into six tiers of evidence and uses a relevance scale as a complement to the scientific rating scale and to demonstrate applicability for client populations.

Issue Areas: Child Welfare