Georgia State University’s Georgia Policy Labs (GPL) recently celebrated its first five years during a summit held for its partners, researchers and the community, all of whom contribute to its impactful research, which helps improve outcomes for children, students and families in Georgia.

During the summit, GPL released its 2023 Impact Report, full of data and analysis that tracks the organization’s evolution and impact. It closed with a video from its partner, Achieve Atlanta, which highlights how joining the Georgia Policy Labs’ research-practice partnership has enhanced the organization’s research capacity and connected it to a community of action-oriented thought partners.

“When we started the Georgia Policy Labs, our hope was to bring together a ‘coalition of the willing’ who believed we could use our collective strengths, the power of integrated data, rigorous research and people’s curiosity and hope to transform systems to work better for each child, student and family in Georgia,” Maggie Reeves, GPL’s founding senior director, announced at the summit. “GPL has gone through a marked evolution since its inception, yet our team and partnerships have kept our vision affixed to our North Star: improving policies and programs so that all people can thrive.”

The summit also marked Reeves’ departure. She has since joined the Urban Institute. Thomas Goldring, GPL’s director of research, is serving as GPL’s interim senior director while the organization searches for its next leader.

“We’re excited about our impact and growth during our first five years,” Goldring said. “We have seen that our research is having measurable impact in Atlanta and beyond, with our partners helping to drive this change. And our current slate of collaborative projects gives me confidence that GPL will continue to have a positive community impact well into the future.”

For more information about the Georgia Policy Labs, go to gpl.gsu.edu.