This week I attended an event sponsored by the Minnesota Evaluation Association. They had invited folks from Minnesota's Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA). I see OLA reports from time to time but it was interesting to learn more about how they work.

They evaluate not only state agency programs, but also issues that might cut across several agencies. Though an audit commission makes final recommendations on projects, the OLA takes requests from various sources throughout the year before the formal solicitation period at this time each year. After the projects are decided, the OLA works independently on their research projects - returning to the legislature at the start of the following year with a report on findings and recommendations. I was encouraged by the independence of the office and the importance of their work in providing facts to inform legislative debate. Interestingly, they noted their awareness that facts will not always decide every debate, value judgments and political imperatives also shape (if not decide)debate.

They seem very aware of their unique assets and niche. Every evaluator would love to have access to the data that the OLA has. Because they are working on behalf of the state, they have access to ALL state data. They do case studies and interviews to provide a qualitative counterpart to quantitative data, but this state data is a major source for their evaluation. Even they face challenges though, since datasets may not be aligned (common identifiers) even WITHIN agencies. I thought of the frustration of all those lost opportunities to better understand state programs and issues.

Evidently, OLA hardly ever chooses to use surveys. Of course they have access to all this great data that so few others have access to, but they mostly do surveys when it is important for them to understand what people think about a program or issue, not to assess the program or issue itself. Their timeframe can also be short for designing, implementing and analyzing surveys. Perhaps related to this, the OLA mentioned that one group they feel they miss out on are the clients of state programs. They also limit comparisons to other states since so much may differ in the environment and relevent variables between states.

OLA reports have certainly had an impact on state progams and issues; it was fascinating to get this insight into how they work.