BetaGov Blog
Our Brave New World
Posted on May 6, 2020 By Maureen Hillhouse
Although quite different from Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel, our world has changed beyond our wildest expectations...(cont'd)
Learning Corner: Don't Be Scared!
Posted October 15, 2019 By Maureen Hillhouse & Angela Hawken
Any new venture can be scary, but some experiences get scarier over time because we become more knowledgeable... (cont'd)
Learning Corner: Embracing Change
Posted September 17, 2019 By Maureen Hillhouse & Angela Hawken
BetaGov encourages pracademics to test promising changes to practice and process that might improve outcomes... (cont'd)
Learning Corner: Learning About Learning
Posted August 6, 2019 By Maureen Hillhouse & Angela Hawken
We are constantly learning, even though it may not be obvious. For example, you may change lanes on the highway... (cont'd)
Learning Corner: Learning from Our Peers
Posted June 26, 2019 By Maureen Hillhouse & Angela Hawken
Haven't we all had someone in our lives whom we looked up to and tried to emulate? As children, this might have... (cont'd)
Learning Corner: How to Learn Iteratively
Posted on June 11, 2019 By Angela Hawken
Iterative learning is our favorite sort of evidence-based decisionmaking. You start with an idea and you test it. (cont'd)
Failing Forward
Posted on May 7, 2019 By Angela Hawken
Our team is in awe of BetaGov Pracademics who have had the courage to “fail forward.” These Pracademics are assets...(cont'd)
Innovation Can Be a Lonely Enterprise
Posted on March 6, 2019 By Angela Hawken
As pracademics you all know how rewarding this enterprise of innovation and building an evidence base in your organization...(cont'd)
How To Prepare For Your First Call With BetaGov
Posted on September 25, 2017 By Lauren Rilling
When you submit an idea for a trial with BetaGov, we’ll schedule a call to learn more about your idea. From there, we can determine if your idea is appropriate for a randomized controlled trial...(cont'd)
Let's Talk Process
Posted on August 22, 2017 By Maureen Hillhouse
The prospect of conducting research may be overwhelming and foreign to practitioners with limited experience in empirical science. But...(cont'd)
Three Reasons To Do A Randomized Controlled Trial
Posted on August 2, 2017 By Lauren Rilling
Wondering if a randomized controlled trial is the best way to test an idea at your agency? Wonder no more. An RCT is the gold standard for...(cont'd)
Calling All Parents And Educators
Posted on July 25, 2017 By Lauren Rilling
BetaGov research assistance is open to educators! As part of BetaGov’s goal to help practitioners in public-sector organizations test their own...(cont'd)
BetaGov & NYU CUSP Partner To Analyze Prosecutor Data
Posted on July 19, 2017 By Allison Weinger
In early July, a team of NYU CUSP master’s students partnering with BetaGov presented data analysis and visualization to the Santa Clara County (CA) District Attorney’s Office. Their analysis is helping the...(cont'd)
BetaGov is Free!
Posted on July 15, 2017 By Maureen Hillhouse
No, you didn’t misunderstand: BetaGov assistance is free! We need a bumper sticker with this message since it is the inquiry that we get most often...(cont'd)
Leave It To Chance: How To Randomize Your Trial Participants
Posted on June 28, 2017 By Lauren Rilling
Say you have a trial with 100 participants. Everything is ready to go and you can’t wait to see the results! There’s just one problem: how do you ...(cont'd)
Dream Big, But First Think Small
Posted on June 14, 2017 By Lauren Rilling
Our practitioner partners think of some incredible ideas to test. From placing air plants in prison cells to creating suicide-prevention training...(cont'd)
Don't Apologize
Posted on June 5, 2017 By Ellyn Schwaiger
As a BetaGov case manager, my role is to help public sector practitioners facilitate randomized controlled trials in their agencies. This offers me great exposure to a particularly resourceful, engaged, and...(cont'd)
Staying The Course: Don’t Be Overwhelmed When Developing Your Good Idea!
Posted on May 17, 2017 By Maureen Hillhouse
Like most everything in life, interest and enthusiasm for new ideas and projects ebb and flow. We’ve also found this to be true with some of our BetaGov trials. The initial period following identification...(cont'd)
Welcoming Denise O'Donnell To The Marron Institute
Posted on April 14, 2017 By BetaGov
New York University continues to tap exceptional talent from the federal transition. Today, Denise O’Donnell, Director of the United States...(cont'd)
We Don’t Care About Your Trial's Results, And That's A Good Thing
Posted on April 12, 2017 By Lauren Rilling
How many batches does it take to make a perfect chocolate chip cookie? If you’re a baker at America's Test Kitchen, the answer is ...(cont'd)
The Best Tool To Fix The Criminal Justice System: Ignorance
Posted on April 4, 2017 By David Farabee
Senator Session’s recent appointment as U.S. Attorney General has elicited predictable concerns from progressives and praise from...(cont'd)
Policies Under Construction
Posted on January 19, 2017 By Andrew Wiens, Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs, Kansas Department for Children & Families (DCF)
Working in a leadership position at a human services agency is a unique experience. These organizations are typically quite large, as state...(cont'd)
Being Thankful
Posted on November 23, 2016 By Angela Hawken
The BetaGov team has a great deal to be grateful for. To the public agencies we partner with, we are humbled by your dedication to...(cont'd)
BetaGov Model For Innovation
Posted on November 14, 2016 By Maureen Hillhouse
The typical research paradigm relies on an academic investigator with an idea to identify a potential funding mechanism, prepare and submit...(cont'd)
Deliberative Corrections
Posted on August 12, 2016 By Angela Hawken
The people most affected by criminal justice policies are rarely consulted in developing those policies or associated programs and practices. We would like to change that...(cont'd)
Some Background on BetaGov
Posted on June 7, 2016 By Angela Hawken
In December 2012, I was invited to speak at a conference that featured the leadership of a federal agency, and I presented an idea that I called...(cont'd)