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Data Culture

Organizations have deeply embedded practices and norms about how data is used. We partner with you to strengthen that culture so that everyone can make equitable decisions that improve the experiences and outcomes for all students.

Today, many school districts struggle with DRIP syndrome: they are Data Rich and Information Poor. Some may collect data to check a box, others may be inconsistent, or organize the data in silos.

The truth is that the work to dismantle bad habits and unhealthy systems is hard.

Why Data Culture


For decades we have based many of our policy and practice decisions on standardized testing data. We know that standardized testing data, when viewed in isolation, represent a limited view of student success and can even mislead us. We know the policies we’ve enforced and the decisions we’ve made based on these data have failed to close persistent achievement disparities across income levels and between white students and students of color, even after more than 50 years of testing. 

Why Data Culture

Our Framework for Data Culture


A school district’s data culture can be defined by beliefs, values, norms, resources, and spaces.

data culture beliefs values norms

Resources


6 Common Mistakes to Avoid for a Stronger Data Culture in Schools

On January 28, 1986, the space program experienced one of its most catastrophic events to date when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart just over a minute after launch. All seven crew members died, including Christa McAulliffe, a school teacher who would have been the first teacher in space.

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A Four Step Process for Developing Data Culture in School Districts

For more than a century, standardized testing data have been used to measure the success of students, teachers, and schools - and even to mark our global competitiveness or lack thereof.

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Starting and Sustaining a Data Habit in Your School

If our cliches are an indicator, we all know that data collection, review, analysis, and understanding is important. We all hear of data-driven decisions, and the importance of data in education and educational systems, but we are often challenged to incorporate data review and the next steps into our everyday lives.

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What Responsive Planning Looks Like in a Strong Data Culture

When I was studying research methods as part of my doctoral degree, the running joke among our professors was that they would answer every question with “It depends.” My favorite professor would answer an either/or question with “Yes.” Should I use a survey to answer these research questions? Or would interviews be better? “Yes.”

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Using Data in Schools to Learn Fast

As a new mom, I cared deeply about two things: my baby’s well-being and my sleep. I could go without showering or hot meals, but I was NOT well equipped to deal with the lack of sleep. And I was fairly lucky - my son slept about as normally as you can expect a newborn to sleep.

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