How to Talk about Data

It’s not enough to be able to interpret data, to truly initiate change, you have to be able to effectively communicate data. In this episode, we review five practical tips for how to talk about data with staff, students, and families.

Research from the episode:

• Adaptive Schools. (n.d.). Seven Norms of Collaborative Work. Retrieved November 1, 2021 from http://theadaptiveschool.weebly.com/7-norms-of-collaborative-work.html
• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2015, November 1). 8 Data Points to Ponder. Educational Leadership. https://files.ascd.org/staticfiles/ascd/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el201511_takeaways.pdf
• Datnow, A., & Park, V. (2015, November). Five (Good) Ways to Talk About Data. Educational Leadership, 73(3), 10-15. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/five-(good)-ways-to-talk-about-data
• DuFour, R. (2015, November). How PLCs do Data Right. Educational Leadership, 73(3), 22-26. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/how-plcs-do-data-right
• Finnigan, K., Daly, A. J., & Che, J. (2012). Mind the gap: Learning, trust, and relationships in an underperforming urban system. American Journal of Education, 119(1), 41–71.
• Goodwin, B. (2015, November). Mindsets Are Key to Effective Data Use. Educational Leadership, 73(3), 78-79. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/mindsets-are-key-to-effective-data-use
• Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• McWilliams, L., & Patton, C. (2015, November). How to Share Data with Families. Educational Leadership, 73(3), 46-49. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/how-to-share-data-with-families

Resources for WCPSS staff:

• DRA’s Data Literacy Course
• TIPS Guide with Protocols
  
  

WCPSS staff can earn credit for listening to and reflecting on completed series. Learn more here.

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Theme music provided by Cary High School’s Logan Foster

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System