Counting What Counts: Accurate Data Leads to Effective Policy

It's hard to get the best results from any kind of work without the right tools. So why are policymakers and administrators in a world of diminishing resources using antiquated tools to decide which programs will do the most to help children and families survive the poverty of these hard times?

"They do have the latest tools," people may say, knowing that their taxes have funded state and local IT budgets. And yes, in some pockets of government, public servants are using new technology to analyze program and performance data to make sensible cuts and overhaul programs to better educate, protect, treat, train, employ and counsel vulnerable children and families.

But as the old truism states, "what gets measured gets done," and more often than not the quality and quantity of data that drive these human decisions fall way short. We must empower decision-makers by counting what counts in the lives of children and families.

Last week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The Data Book responds to the need for quality data by providing a consistent, reliable source of information about children's well-being. Data on 10 key measures are now available at the state, county and city level, providing policymakers with the most comprehensive source of information.

Improving the quality of data -- counting what counts -- will help make sure our programs are working and give us the ability to evaluate them, adjust them or eliminate them if they are not. Good data will make us more accountable to our commitment to meet the needs and boost outcomes for vulnerable children.

Today in Washington, officials are working their way through two critically important "data" decisions. The outcomes matter to children nationwide.

First, it's time to update the poverty measure. The current U.S. poverty measure is a 1960s creation -- needless to say a lot has changed since then. The Casey Foundation recommends moving forward with a model developed by the National Academy of Sciences which would account for costs related to work, child care, taxes and out-of-pocket medical expenses, and adjust for regional differences in the cost of living. It also would adjust to reflect actual spending on food and housing. The new measure would recognize non-cash benefits, such as earned-income tax credits, food stamps and housing vouchers provided through federal and state anti-poverty programs -- making it possible to gauge the impact of our major anti-poverty programs on reducing poverty.

Second, Congress should pass legislation creating a state-level child well-being survey. As the federal government has shifted greater responsibility to states for programs that benefit children and families over the past decade, the need for accurate and timely state-level data has become increasingly dire. Further, the data that is available is frequently so outdated and incomplete that it cannot effectively guide policy-making. For these reasons, the Annie E. Casey Foundation supports the State Child Well-Being Research Act of 2009, a bipartisan bill that would provide timely state-specific data on child well-being. The importance of this legislation to state policymakers is underscored by its recent unanimous endorsement from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

With quick action on the poverty measure and a state-level child well-being survey, our leaders in Washington will move us closer to counting what counts (PDF) in the lives of children and families.