Engage with Data

A New Arrival

A New Arrival I’ve been a bit off my posting schedule the past few weeks, but I have a good reason, I promise! Last Monday, my husband and I welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby girl into the world (albeit a few weeks early!). Our hearts are full and our brains are fried, but we are… Continue reading A New Arrival

Summarize, visualize, analyze

Summarize, visualize, analyze In my last post, I asked for feedback about what you’d like to learn about in our summer of figuring out the “so what?” of our data. To my amusement, a longtime colleague and friend replied to my LinkedIn post with the following topic:  “How to turn raw data into meaningful information… Continue reading Summarize, visualize, analyze

Looking for the “So What?” In Our Data

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 Google Maps to explore your data in a new way

Use Google Maps to explore your data in a new way Isn’t it so gratifying to learn a new skill and get to apply it? One thing I’ve been learning lately is how to use ArcGIS, a super fancy mapping tool that allows you to collect, analyze, and visualize all sorts of data. I’ve talked about… Continue reading Use Google Maps to explore your data in a new way

Word Clouds and Key Quotations: Making Qualitative Data Work for You

Word Clouds and Key Quotations: Making Qualitative Data Work for You This week I’ve got a co-author to help me continue my qualitative data series! Sarah Dunifon is Founder and Principal Evaluator of Improved Insights LLC, an educational evaluation firm focused on STEM and youth-based programming. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio and is a fellow board member… Continue reading Word Clouds and Key Quotations: Making Qualitative Data Work for You

Start the School Year By Hearing from Stakeholders

Start the School Year By Hearing from Stakeholders Growing up in New Jersey, the day after Labor Day always marked the start of a new school year … and the day I finally got to wear the new outfit I had carefully planned and crack open my new, pristine notebooks. If you couldn’t tell, I… Continue reading Start the School Year By Hearing from Stakeholders

What will be your story?

What will be your story? It’s not always easy to measure the impact of family and community engagement efforts. Some aspects of education — like test scores or report card grades — (notwithstanding the wide variety of controversies around their use) are pretty straightforward to measure. They’re already quantified. They’re known entities. We can tell… Continue reading What will be your story?

My Most Powerful Reads of the Decade

My Most Powerful Reads of the Decade I love to read. Curling up with a good book and getting lost in the story for hours is pure bliss for me. Of course, adulthood prevents this from being a regular occurrence, but I still treasure the time I spend reading and the lessons I learn from… Continue reading My Most Powerful Reads of the Decade