A few weeks ago I found myself in a room full of fellow transportation geeks (a term I use with great respect) at the annual American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Washington Briefing. One panel in particular really got the room buzzing with talk about the transportation
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![Busting myths of education value-added analysis, Part 2: It is harder to show growth with high-achieving students](https://blogs.sas.com/content/statelocalgov/files/2013/03/EVAAS-mythbuster2-Figure1.jpg)
Welcome to Part 2 of the value-added Myth Busters blog series…have you heard this one before? Educators serving high-achieving students are often concerned that their students’ entering achievement level makes it more difficult for them to show growth. “How can my students show growth if they are already earning high
![Are Your Wages Killing You? Study Opens The Door For Workers Comp Fraud](https://blogs.sas.com/content/statelocalgov/files/2017/01/FraudSecurity-2.png)
Personally, I love studies. They help put things into context, and when done well, provide an independent and hopefully unbiased view of the forces that shape our lives. They are also a great way to see government funds used in strange ways. For example, the new NIOSH (National Institute for
![Busting myths of education value-added analysis, Part 1: You must control for demographics](https://blogs.sas.com/content/statelocalgov/files/2013/03/EVAAS-mythbuster-image-header1.jpg)
In the past five years, value-added models have been increasingly adopted by states to support various teaching effectiveness policies. As educators make the paradigm shift from looking at only achievement data to incorporating growth data, many misconceptions have developed. Compounding this issue is the fact that not all value-added and
![Michigan’s holistic view of fraud is what’s required to combat organized criminal networks](https://blogs.sas.com/content/statelocalgov/files/2017/01/FraudSecurity-2.png)
SAS announced yesterday that Michigan will use the SAS Fraud Framework for Government to, initially, combat fraud, waste and abuse in the state’s unemployment insurance and food stamp programs. Those two programs are good focus areas and I’m confident they will lead to the state recovering funds, avoiding losses and
![If you build it, they will get stuck in traffic](https://blogs.sas.com/content/statelocalgov/files/2013/02/Field-Of-Dreams.jpg)
I’m a huge movie buff. I love all kinds of movies but sports films are at the top of my list. Field of Dreams is one of my favorites not only because it’s a great story but also because, in my opinion, it has one of the best movie lines.
![Old ways of local government communication not enough in today’s tech-driven world](https://blogs.sas.com/content/statelocalgov/files/2017/01/Analytics-1.png)
Recently, I was having lunch with a city council member who shared a litany of comments about the outstanding job the city and its staff does in all areas of city operations. She remarked on how little the public understands about all the city does and how efficiently it’s done.
![Analytics fuels recommendations in new Department of Transportation innovation handbook](https://blogs.sas.com/content/statelocalgov/files/2017/01/Analytics-2.png)
Analytics is a key piece in nearly all 31 recommendations outlined in The Innovative DOT: A Handbook of Policy and Practice. Crafted by the State Smart Transportation Initiative, in partnership with Smart Growth America, the handbook provides 31 recommendations for state transportation officials looking for ways to increase efficiencies and
![Iceberg, ho! Analytics can keep local government afloat](https://blogs.sas.com/content/statelocalgov/files/2013/01/Titanic-sinking.jpg)
It was a moonless night in April 1912 when the pinnacle of ocean travel technology and luxury, the RMS Titanic, collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 passengers and crew. A primary cause of the tragedy was that the captain and
![Health Information Exchanges recharged: Is 2013 the year for Analytics?](https://blogs.sas.com/content/statelocalgov/files/2013/01/Krisa-Claims-Clinical-overlap-MPI-1-13.jpg)
The creation of Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) took off in 2009 with the establishment of the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program (SHIECAP). Recently, it seems like HIEs have been somewhat of the middle-child, garnering less attention between the health insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansion. But let’s take a