The North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) announced eight projects have been selected to receive NC Evaluation Fund grants. The grants fund research partnerships to collect and analyze data state agencies can use to make evidence-informed decisions. The grant awards totaled nearly $1 million.
“These grants are among the reasons North Carolina is a leader among states for using data and evidence to deliver good government,” explained State Budget Director Charlie Perusse. “We at OSBM want to lead the charge encouraging state agencies to find effective and efficient ways to serve North Carolinians. Supporting research and evidence-based evaluation is just one way we do that.”
The NC Evaluation Fund review panel considered state agency-driven research projects designed to answer questions that will inform policy or program decisions. The projects are action-oriented and engage research partners.
"Our team is thrilled about this opportunity to utilize these new state funds from OSBM to support our research,” said Jeni Corn, Director of Research and Evaluation at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. “This study will help us understand the relationship between education, health, and social services for our youngest children and academic achievement and engagement in kindergarten through third grade for North Carolina's public-school students.”
Danielle Carman, Director of the NC Department of Administration’s Council for Women and Youth Involvement, explained the value of being able to pursue research for helping address domestic violence in our state, saying, “Ultimately, we hope that by thoroughly evaluating ways to incorporate restorative justice practices, trauma-informed programming and wrap-around services into Domestic Violence Intervention Programs, we will be able to clearly identify best practices that achieve better outcomes for families and communities affected by domestic violence.”
The North Carolina Evaluation Fund was established by the 2021 Appropriations Act. OSBM administers the NC Evaluation Fund as part of the agency’s Operational Excellence efforts to encourage strategic decision-making and evidence-driven policy.
This month OSBM added Chief Scientist David Yokum to their team to continue advancing evidence-informed policy, performance management, and effective government. As Chief Scientist at OSBM, David will collaborate on several functions related to evidence-based policymaking and performance management within OSBM and across state government. He will serve as the state’s leading expert on the development of learning agendas and program evaluation strategies.
For more information about OSBM and Operational Excellence in state government visit www.osbm.nc.gov.
NC Evaluation Fund Grant Recipients
NC Integrated Care for Kids – NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Division of Health Benefits is launching a multi-stage evaluation of the effectiveness of the North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids' (NC InCK) Primary Care Kindergarten Readiness Promotion Bundle and its components. Research partners: University of North Carolina, Duke University, and the NC Government Data Analytics Center
Integrated Behavioral Health Services Program – NC Department of Public Safety Emergency Management Division will study barriers to care and solutions to improve accessibility to adapt and expand this program to all first responders. Research partner: RTI International
Domestic Violence Intervention Programs – NC Department of Administration’s Council for Women & Youth Involvement and UNC Project RESTART will develop measures to assess the effectiveness of emerging innovative programs and strategies to help people who have committed acts of domestic violence learn better ways of interacting with their intimate partners and family members. Research Partner: University of North Carolina
WIC Enrollment – NC DHHS Division of Child and Family Well-Being will identify families who are eligible but not enrolled in WIC using cross-linked program data and test the effectiveness of pilot tailored outreach programs at enrolling eligible families. Research partner: Duke University
Teen Courts – NC Department of Public Safety Division of Juvenile Justice will evaluate the state’s county-level teen court programs. Research Partner: Montreat College
Advanced Teaching Roles – NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) will evaluate the impact of alternative teacher compensation models and advanced teaching roles. Research Partner: NC State University
Early Childhood Longitudinal Data – NC DPI and NC DHHS will conduct a study to understand the relationship between education, health, and social services for our youngest children and academic achievement and engagement in kindergarten through third grade for public school students. Research Partners: University of Pennsylvania, NC Government Data Analytics Center
Certified Career Pathways Program – The NC Department of Commerce’s NCWorks Commission will examine participation and credential attainment through the state’s certified career pathways (CCPs). They will also develop a research plan to evaluate CCPs’ impact on employee retention in select industries. Research Partner: NC State University
About OSBM
The Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) is committed to serving North Carolinians by providing objective information and analysis to ensure a balanced budget and effective stewardship of public resources.