Engage with Data

When the data speaks for itself

When the data speaks for itself (I’m back! Let’s just say that working from home full-time with an infant and no childcare is not for the faint of heart. I’m hoping to share with you more regularly throughout the summer and beyond.) As I’m sure has been the case with you, the past few weeks… Continue reading When the data speaks for itself

How Can We Measure 2021?

How can we measure 2021? Over the past few months, we’ve been playing a lot of music for our baby girl, to keep her entertained (mostly because Mommy and Daddy sing and dance around the house like fools) and to help lull her to sleep.  We may not be helping her get along with her… Continue reading How Can We Measure 2021?

Preparing for Another Uncertain Year

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

Funding is Coming: Get Your Evidence Ready!

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!

We need teachers today.

We need teachers today. When I was a senior in high school, I thought the coolest job would be to serve as a member of Congress.  I was lucky to be part of an amazing course (in a public school, might I add!) called Government and Law-Related Experiences, affectionately known as GALRE. Our teacher, Doug… Continue reading We need teachers today.

Numbers Can’t Tell the Whole Story

Numbers Can’t Tell the Whole Story You should know by now that I’m a bit of a data nerd.  I love spreadsheets. I love organizing data and using it to illuminate patterns. I love the “ah-ha” moments when clients realize how much their own data can tell them about the kids and families they’re serving. … Continue reading Numbers Can’t Tell the Whole Story

We can’t let them fall through the cracks.

We can’t let them fall through the cracks. I started writing a completely different blog post for this week, but when I read the news this morning, I knew I had to shift gears.  CNN featured a story yesterday called “​Teachers and social workers search for students who are ‘missing’ in the pandemic.” The word… Continue reading We can’t let them fall through the cracks.

Now is the time.

Now is the time. Fear. Uncertainty. Frustration. Isolation.  In recent conversations with districts across the country and in analyses of surveys for clients, these words have come up a lot. Families, educators, and community members are feeling a whole lot of unpleasant things as we grapple with how – or if – we can simultaneously… Continue reading Now is the time.

Lifting Up All Families’ Voices Around School Reopening

Lifting Up All Families’ Voices Around School Reopening It’s easy to feel discouraged and upset when you turn on the news these days. So much is happening to progress the fight for racial equity and justice in this country that even a global pandemic seems to have taken the backseat. The truth is that without… Continue reading Lifting Up All Families’ Voices Around School Reopening

We have to do better.

We have to do better. I still remember how scared I was during the 2015 riots/uprising in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray.  I understood the pain and outrage in the black community over the death of a young, black man in police custody, but looking back, I didn’t really get the depth of the collective… Continue reading We have to do better.