Colorado Lab helps solve the state's most pressing problems

When state agencies across Colorado have important policy and budgetary decisions to make, they often turn to DU’s Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab, also known as the Colorado Lab, to help guide and inform those decisions.

Launched in 2017 in partnership with former Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office, the Colorado Lab is a first-of-its-kind, government-research partnership, giving state agencies direct access to the research community. Modeled after other “policy labs” in regions across the country, the Colorado Lab works to not only integrate evaluation into policymaking but also make state government more effective and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

As Director Kristin Klopfenstein explains, experienced researchers work with a broad range of government and community partners to address the state’s most pressing problems in areas like child welfare, criminal justice,
education and health care by evaluating the effectiveness of existing programs.

“We do work that is driven by the governor’s priorities,” says Klopfenstein. “Our government partners, when they come to us, have a clear, actionable use for it."

The lab is pre-screened to contract for projects under a million dollars, meaning it doesn’t have to go through a formal bidding process. However, that doesn’t mean the lab is given special consideration, says Klopfenstein. State partners work with the lab voluntarily.

“Work comes to us primarily through word of mouth— because of our responsive relationships and high-quality work focused on actionability. We prioritize work that informs actual decisions rather than getting placed on a shelf.”

Colorado is committed to evidence-based policymaking and uses a model called the Colorado Steps to Building Evi- dence when considering budget requests. The Colorado Lab has adopted the same five-step model to help guide their research and conversations with government partners.

It’s important that the researchers understand their partners’ goals around evidence building, because those goals will require a different kind of response and support from the lab. One thing the lab will not do is make recommendations on whether a program should be kept or cut.

“We can report to our partners about what we’re observing in the data, but it’s up to them what they do with that information and whether they want to recommend doubling down on it and beefing it up or expanding or cutting,” says Klopfenstein.

Ultimately, the goal of evidence-based policymaking is to use the best available research and information to guide and inform policy and budget decisions—resulting in out- comes that improve the lives of Coloradans while saving the state money.

In 2021, for example, the lab started working with the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program (previously in the Colorado Department of Human Services, now in the Colorado Department of Early Childhood), which helps parents and other caregivers support the social emotional development and mental well-being of children up to age six.

“[The program] has been around for 15 years, and it was kind of ‘let a thousand flowers bloom,’ where everybody across the state was doing their own thing,” Klopfenstein says. The state was looking to standardize the program and provide more supportive training to caregivers when the lab was hired three years ago.

Contractors working with the state dispatch early childhood mental health consultants into childcare settings to help the adults better support the kids, many of whom have been exposed to trauma.

“The whole idea is to prevent early childhood suspensions and expulsions, which is a pretty big issue in preschools,” she says. “It’s not about fixing kids; it’s about helping adults support those kids better and meet them where they’re at.”

Klopfenstein, who has a PhD in economics, thinks about research from both an effectiveness and efficiency viewpoint.

“Effectiveness is about—do our programs succeed in achieving the desired results? Are these programs doing what they were designed to do? So that’s one question,” she says.

“But the other question is: If they are effective, are they being efficient? Are they achieving their goals with the least resources possible? We want effective programs that make a difference in the lives of Coloradans that also accomplish their goals as efficiently as possible.”

Although the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab was conceived under Gov. Hickenlooper’s administration and continues under Gov. Jared Polis, Klopfenstein and her team have built relationships up and down the system to maintain as much continuity as possible for the next administration, and the next.

“There’s a lot of career professionals who stay on across administrations,” Klopfenstein says. “It only helps us when those folks … know the quality of our work, trust us and vouch for us with new leadership.”

The key ingredient to a strong working partnership, she adds, is a trusting relationship. “When people ask you to come in and evaluate their programs, they’re really laying themselves open to criticism and judgment. They’re really taking a risk, and so it’s very important that they trust you.”