“I couldn’t have put it better myself…” We all know how powerful a startling statistic can be. Maybe you’ve seen a PowerPoint presentation where there is just a huge number on the slide or a newspaper headline that highlights the stark realities of a situation. Remember the New York Times’ cover early on in the… Continue reading “I couldn’t have put it better myself”
A gut check While I am lucky that I get to consult with schools and districts in their work with families, it isn’t often that I get to engage with students and families directly (especially since COVID derailed my weekly mentoring sessions at a high school here in Columbus). So I was especially delighted this… Continue reading A gut check
Preparing for Another Uncertain School Year I think we had all hoped that after two school years disrupted by COVID-19, the 2021-2022 school year could be a return to “normal.” Yet with the Delta variant surging throughout the country and children under 12 still unvaccinated, it’s becoming clear that educators and families are in for… Continue reading Preparing for Another Uncertain Year
Reframing data analysis as meaning-making This summer on the Engage with Data blog, I’m exploring different ways to answer the question: “So what?” My goal is to remind us of the human element of data — we are in the field of student and family engagement, after all! But I do get it – data… Continue reading Reframing data analysis as meaning-making
Looking for the “so what?” in our data If you’ve read this blog for any period of time, you’ve probably figured out that data tracking is kind of my thing. My super Type-A personality gets a lot of satisfaction from crossing every “t” and dotting every “i” and making sure that I can quickly access… Continue reading Looking for the “So What?” In Our Data
Use your data to celebrate families Educators: you’ve made it! It’s finally the end of the school year. And what a school year it was. I’m sure that there are all kinds of celebrations happening as this confusing, exhausting, stressful, and probably scary year comes to a close. But if you’ve been tracking your student… Continue reading Use Your Data to Celebrate Families
Whose Evidence Is It? I’ve been talking a lot about evidence lately, but I feel I’ve been missing a crucial piece. As a reminder, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), our country’s primary federal education legislation, requires that programs and interventions purchased with federal education dollars must have be evidenced-based. Most people know these federal… Continue reading “Whose Evidence Is It?”
ESSA Level 4: Getting your foot in the door In my last post, I talked about how the recent American Rescue Plan Act will bring an influx of funds specifically for out-of-school time (OST) — after-school and summer — programs, as well as for community schools and wraparound services. This is a huge win for… Continue reading ESSA Level 4: Getting your foot in the door
Funding is Coming: Get Your Evidence Ready! Here’s a sentence we don’t often get to say in education: the motherlode of funding is coming our way! The recently-passed American Rescue Plan Act has set aside … brace yourself … over $2 BILLION for out-of-school time (OST) — after-school and summer — programs!Not to mention, there… Continue reading Funding is Coming: Get Your Evidence Ready!
Education’s lessons learned from a year at home It’s hard to believe that a year ago this week, my husband and I returned from a trip to visit my family and went into lockdown for the first time. At that time, the thought of staying at home for even two weeks straight sent my anxious… Continue reading Education’s lessons learned from a year at home
