AmeriCorps has developed a Strategic Learning and Evidence Building Plan to define its learning agenda for FY 2022-26, reinforcing its commitment to using evaluation to shape policy and practice. This agenda addresses priority research questions through approximately 13 contracts, which support dozens of evaluations, and over 20 research grants.

In addition, AmeriCorps established an evaluation policy built on five guiding principles: rigor, relevance, transparency, independence and ethics. To enhance collaboration, staff from the agency’s budget, evaluation and strategic planning teams meet weekly to discuss strategies for better integrating these areas.

As addressed in its evaluation policy, ACL seeks to promote rigor, relevance, transparency, independence and ethics in the conduct of evaluations. ACL’s evaluation plan describes the systematic collection and analysis of information about the characteristics and outcomes of programs, projects and processes as a basis for judgments, to improve effectiveness, and/or to inform decision-makers about current and future activities. The agency has a learning agenda. ACL is developing a new set of priorities that will be published in 2025.

The agency has an evaluation policy, an annual evaluation plan and a learning agenda to support the building and use of evidence. In FY 2022, SAMHSA developed and approved an evaluation policy document that provides guidance for evaluations of programs and policies. Evaluation reports are publicly available.

SAMHSA also contributes to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Evaluation Plan. The FY 2024 HHS Evaluation Plan includes evaluations that are planned to continue or start in FY 2024. Although they do not represent all of the evaluations expected to be conducted by HHS, each evaluation contributes to HHS’ ability to answer the priority questions presented in the current Evidence Building Plan, which ties directly to the current HHS Strategic Plan. HHS uses diverse data sources, methodological approaches and dissemination plans to address the complex and varied health and human services needs of the populations it serves.

A SAMHSA-specific learning agenda is forthcoming. Additionally, as an agency within HHS and an active participant in the HHS Evidence and Evaluation Policy Council, SAMHSA contributed to the HHS learning agenda, participated in monthly meetings and contributed to developing the Evidence Building Plan.

A Department Administrative Order establishes a policy for developing and using program evaluation findings and other evidence to improve efficiency and impact. It also establishes a system for the regular review of programs and processes to improve their value and customer experience.

As the Evidence Act requires, the Department of Commerce has a learning agenda and an evaluation plan. The FY 2022-26 Learning Agenda identifies and addresses relevant policy questions, including short- and long-term strategic and operational questions. All types of evidence — program evaluation, performance measurement, policy analysis and foundational fact-finding — are used to answer the questions. The department’s FY 2024 Evaluation Plan describes significant evaluations and related information for the fiscal year. All evaluations in the plan are supported by funding.

ED’s Evaluation Policy was approved by the Office of the Secretary in August 2020. It reaffirms the department’s commitment to five core principles in program evaluation: (1) independence and objectivity, (2) relevance and utility, (3) rigor and quality, (4) transparency, and (5) ethics. The Annual Evaluation Plan describes its most significant evaluation activities. ED’s Learning Agenda was released as part of the agency’s Strategic Plan in July 2022. It outlines the priority learning questions that the department seeks to answer between FY 2022 and FY 2026, and is organized across six focal areas, including strengthening student learning and postsecondary access and completion.

ED’s Learning Agenda is integral to its evidence-building pipeline, which prioritizes developing, testing and refining evidence-based educational strategies. This pipeline begins by identifying innovative and promising approaches and then adapting these approaches as new evidence emerges. Finally, rigorous evaluations confirm their effectiveness in enhancing student outcomes. Key department offices and programs — like the Grants Policy Office, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Education Innovation and Research Program, and the Institute of Education Sciences — utilize this pipeline approach, incorporating data from sources like the National Assessment of Education Progress to strengthen evidence-based practices.

To support the building and use of evidence, HUD has an Evaluation Policy, Annual Evaluation Plan and Learning Agenda. The agency’s Evaluation Policy enhances the transparency of evaluation results by publishing interim results, utilizing more data-sharing licenses and ensuring data privacy requirements. The policy also “reaffirms HUD’s commitment to conducting rigorous, relevant evaluations and to using evidence from evaluations to inform policy and practice.”

DOL has established policies, plans and a learning agenda to support the building and use of evidence. The agency’s Evaluation Policy formalizes the principles that govern all program evaluations at the agency, including methodological rigor, independence, transparency, ethics and relevance. The agency’s FY 2022-26 Evidence-Building Plan (including a learning agenda) is here, and its FY 2023-24 Evaluation Plan is here.

Additionally, DOL’s Evidence to Action (E2A) initiative develops actionable summaries and an Evidence to Action toolkit for developing evidence-to-action products.

DOT has publicly documented its evaluation framework, which includes a clear definition of evidence. This framework emphasizes the department’s commitment to supporting rigorous, relevant evaluations and to evidence-based strategic and operational decisions that result in continuous improvement. DOT’s evaluation plan and learning agenda establish the department’s vision for the use of data, statistics and evidence to inform decision making. To address emerging issues, the Office of Performance, Evaluation, and Enterprise Risk (PEER) undertook the significant lift to update it two years later, even though DOT wasn’t required. The agency issued an updated and revised learning agenda in November 2024. The Learning Agenda: FY 2024-2026 covers 22 priorities, from distracted driving to supply chain disruption, and reflects input garnered through issuing a formal Request for Information in the Federal Register. In spring 2026, the agency will release another updated and revised learning agenda.

USAID has an agency-wide Evaluation Policy that ensures compliance with the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act and the Evidence Act. The agency also has an annual evaluation plan and just released a Principles for Evidence Use resource, which outlines the key considerations USAID employs for generating and applying evidence. Finally, USAID has an agency Learning Agenda that articulates USAID’s priorities for learning and evidence to inform agency decision-making.