The Pew Center on the States released a 50-state assessment evaluating and grading each state based on a range of areas, from budget and finance to roads and bridges. Turns out Washington State gets an A-, sharing the top spot with Utah and Virginia:

[Washington’s] Government Management Accountability and Performance program…emphasizes periodic public forums during which key players on particular issues come together to problem-solve and report results to the governor and her leadership team.

Participants walk away with well-formulated plans, due dates — and often commitments from the governor in exchange for vows for tangible improvements.

Meanwhile, the governor and other key staff are communicating results to the citizens in a more complete way than has been the case in the past. The effort includes a regular schedule of town hall meetings and workshops that take place all over the state.

The full report on Washington is here.