Data is more than numbers: it’s a catalyst for improving student outcomes and shaping effective policies. On August 21 at 2:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. PT, States for the Future invites you to a Virtual Community Discussion featuring the research and policy experts at MDRC, a nationally recognized organization that produces rigorous evidence on pressing education and workforce challenges. During this session, MDRC will highlight a series of state-led programs they’ve studied and supported, sharing how data-informed evaluation and research have led to meaningful improvements in program implementation and outcomes such as academic achievement. At States for the Future, we believe that evidence-based decision making is essential for driving progress at the state level. Those interested in harnessing data to improve education policy and practice should plan to register and join.
Connect (and re-connect) with your counterparts in other states
The States for the Future convening will be an opportunity to learn, share, and collaborate with like-minded organizations that are leading policy conversations in their state with data and research. Building on the success of our two annual convenings in 2023 and 2024, our agenda will provide ample opportunities to learn how organizations similar to your own overcome challenges, engage their community, and inspire data-driven policy that positively impacts their state.
Agenda highlights include:
Navigating policy topics as non-partisan organizations
Building good data products
Engaging in the policymaking process
Storytelling and communicating with data
Getting smarter on key policy topics like education, housing, childcare, infrastructure, water and more
More detailed session information, including a full program agenda, will be provided in the coming months.
Who should attend?
This event provides a rare opportunity to connect with and learn alongside fellow experts and practitioners from across the country who share your commitment to data and research in advancing long term solutions to the many challenges states face.
To create opportunities for organizational and state ecosystem planning, we encourage you to share this invitation with a cross-section of colleagues from within and outside of your organization, such as:
Senior leadership in communications, policy, data, and programming at your organization
Key stakeholders from philanthropy, research community, and the business community in your state
Event logistics
As was in the case in prior years, there is no registration fee for this conference and SFF will cover all meals on site. This year, participants will be responsible for theirown lodging and travel to the meeting. By completing the registration form, a hotel room will be reserved for you at the Canopy; there is no need to contact the hotel separately. SFF has secured a group rate of $299 (plus taxes and fees) per night for hotel rooms. Participants will pay for lodging when they arrive at the hotel.
Hotel rooms are available to meeting attendees on the nights of Tuesday, November 4 and Wednesday, November 5. Sessions will begin the morning of November 5 and end midday on November 6. We encourage out-of-town guests to arrive on Tuesday, November 4 in order to take full advantage of our sessions together.
We will host a dinner the evening of November 4 for anyone whose travel itinerary enables them to join (more details forthcoming).
Limited travel and/or lodging assistance is available for those for whom these costs would otherwise prohibit attendance. Please email info@statesforthefuture.org for more information.
About our location
Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the Canopy by Hilton Nashville Downtown (920 Division St, Nashville, TN 37203) is in the heart of the city and offers close proximity to many of the area’s attractions.
RSVP information
To secure a room as a part of our hotel room block, participants must RSVP by October 1. Complete the registration form below to reserve your space at the convening and lodging accommodations.
For our June Virtual Community Discussion we dove into Evidence-Based Budgeting with experts from Results for America. As federal budget priorities shift, states across the country could soon be facing tough fiscal choices. Now more than ever, it’s critical for states to ensure every dollar counts.
Speakers Patrick Carter and Sarah Needler from Results for America described best practices for evidence-based budgeting, and offered examples from states like Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and Tennessee. These include creating a shared definition of evidence, building instructions and templates for budgeting processes, and using evidence indicators to monitor implementation. Adopting evidence can improve programs and program impact, and evidence can provide a competitive advantage for the states that use these practices.
Click here to view a recording of the presentation and click here to view the presentation slides.
And please mark your calendars and plan to join us on Thursday, August 21 at 2:00pm ET/10:00am PT when MDRC for our next Virtual Community Discussion on Using Data to Drive Outcomes.
As federal budget priorities shift, states across the country could soon be facing tough fiscal choices. Now more than ever, it’s critical for states to ensure every dollar counts. Join us for our June Virtual Community Discussion on June 11 at 11:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m. PT, where we’ll dive into Evidence-Based Budgeting with experts from Results for America. In this high-impact session, we’ll explore how states can use data and evidence to identify high quality programs and guide strategic investments of state dollars to maximize the return. We’ll also examine how governments can drive effective outcomes through grantmaking, purchasing, and procurement strategies rooted in what works. If you care about making budget decisions that stand up to scrutiny and deliver real results that address the needs of communities most in need, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
States for the Future was glad to host Rachel Snyderman of the Bipartisan Policy Center on the April 2025 edition of our virtual community discussions. Rachel covered current federal fiscal policy issues related to the 2025 fiscal cliff, the budget resolution for fiscal year 2025, and related issues. She specifically discussed fiscal policy impacts for states across policy areas including education and the workforce, childcare, and health.
Thank you to those that joined for this timely and engaging discussion.
You can view the slides from Rachel’s presentation using this link, and view a recording of the presentation here.
Hear about the latest in Federal policy updates from the Bipartisan Policy Center at our next States for the Future Virtual Community Discussion on Wednesday, April 30 at 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT. Rachel B. Snyderman, BPC’s Managing Director of Economic Policy, will discuss how changes in funding and fiscal policy at the Federal level could impact state services, programming, and budgets. Our conversation will cover focus areas for many organizations in our network, including education and health.
How can we ensure the policy conversations happening in our state reflect the priorities of our communities?
Join States for the Future and the Center for the Future of Arizona for a discussion on the use of polling to understand the priorities of our states’ residents. Attendees will learn about “The Arizona We Want” poll and how Center for the Future of Arizona has used polling data to engage communities and decision makers around a shared vision for Arizona’s future.
Slides for this session, including key takeaways are now available. A recording of the session content can be viewed using this link.
Presenter: Dr. Amanda Burke is the Executive Vice President of the Center for the Future of Arizona. Dr. Burke focuses on innovation and systemic change that will advance the priorities of Arizonans and the long-term future success of the state. She is responsible for the organization’s strategy, operations, and program leadership, including CFA’s statewide initiatives in the areas of education, workforce, and civic engagement. Amanda is a Senior Advisor to the States for the Future network.
About Center for the Future of Arizona: Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings Arizonans together to create a stronger and brighter future for their state. Born from a love for Arizona and a desire to help their state succeed, CFA invests time and resources into the state and its people, including a unique partnership with the Gallup organization to build robust survey research of Arizonans to bring critical issues to public attention, and work with communities and leaders to solve public problems.
CFA offers many resources, such as its Arizona Progress Meter, a web-based tool with interactive data and downloadable charts.
Want to learn how you can inspire policy conversations in your state with rankings and reports? Then join us at our January virtual learning opportunity: Using Rankings & Reports to Drive Policy Discussions in Your State.
In this virtual learning session, participants will learn about the process of developing an index that allows us to rank and compare our state’s performance to other states and how these rankings can be used to inspire, facilitate, and frame policy conversations. We will be joined by Chris Brown, VP of Policy & Research at the Common Sense Institute, who will talk about his organization’s recently released annual Free Enterprise Report and Competitiveness Indices. Chris leads the research efforts of CSI to provide insightful, accurate and actionable information on the implications of public policy issues throughout the state of Colorado.
The Common Sense Institute was founded in 2010 to champion Colorado’s economy and to be an educational resource for Coloradans, providing rigorous research on the impact of policies, initiatives, and laws that ultimately shape their lives. CSI’s mission is to provide Coloradans with the resources they need to make informed decisions about the future of their families and the state by helping to ground policy discussions with sound fiscal and economic research. The Common Sense Institute has since opened offices in Arizona and most recently Iowa and Oregon.
Since 2022, the Colorado Common Sense Institute has published three Free Enterprise Reports, which are designed to inspire positive change in the lives of Coloradans. In this webinar, we’ll hear from Chris how exactly they’ve designed the report to support policy-makers and voters alike, what they’ve learned over time, and how they envision using reports to further their vision for their state.
Registration is now closed. Slides from this webinar (including key takeaways) are now viewable here and a recording of the session is accessible here.
Learn how to bring data into education policy conversations in States for the Future’s second virtual learning session, an Education Data Deep Dive. This will be an opportunity to discuss how to navigate education policy issues in your state alongside other nonpartisan organizations.
MyFutureNC’s Cecilia Holden will discuss their success using North Star metrics to drive action in North Carolina and Dr. Holly Heard of Texas2036 will highlight how States for the Future’s education indicators can provide the data you need to make an impact in your state.
This will be an interactive discussion, so please come with your own questions and experiences to share with the rest of the States for the Future network.
Registration is now closed. Slides (including key takeaways) are viewable here and a recording is accessible here.
How can you use data to drive ongoing conversations about your community’s future?
The Washington Vitals offer the most current data at the state and community levels to track progress toward Washington State’s desired future. Together with business and community partners, AWB Institute made Washington’s data come to life through good design and ongoing collaboration around the data.
Join Erika Borg of the AWB Institute to learn more about Washington’s approach and discuss efforts in your own state.
Registration is now closed. Slides (including key takeaways) are viewable here.
Speaker:
Erika Borg has nearly 20 years experience working within philanthropic, nonprofit and corporate circles to improve the lives of young people. In 2018 she started Civic Allies Consulting which supports chambers of commerce, nonprofits and philanthropy in drawing up strategy, programmatic design and identifying funding.
Erika also serves as the Senior Advisor to AWB Institute, a 501c3 affiliated with the Washington State Chamber of Commerce, dedicated to the long-term economic success of all Washingtonians. AWB Institute uses data and long-term economic trends to think through some of the biggest challenges facing Washington. The Institute’s flagship project is Washington in the Making and “The Vitals”. Erika has a Masters of Public Administration from University of Southern California and a Bachelors Degree in English from University of California, Davis.
