Original Post Date: December 17, 2022

How much is data apart of your GEAR UP experience? How often do you discuss data with your colleagues? What role does data play in your decision making? Katie Hill, Jackie Mania, and Thomas Cech discuss these questions and more during our most recent On the Ground podcast, Prove: Give Your Data A Voice.

They also remind us, that data is for everyone! As such, data conversations must include the perspective of every team member.

When I was a GEAR UP coordinator, in Philadelphia, I collected student, school-level, and family data often. Tons and tons of sign-in sheets, field-trip packets, and surveys filled my work desk. Additionally, the GEAR UP team held data Fridays, to ensure that all this data was loaded into a massive database. Data was a major responsibility, and it was essential to my work routine. Even more essential, was the need to understand how this data could direct our work.

This podcast discusses the importance of inclusive conversations relating to your data. You do not have to be an evaluator to provide insight on the data that you are collecting. Coordinators, family engagement specialists, college access professionals, and every GEAR UP professional can be included in data-based conversations. The voices of these roles can provide invaluable insight to the data collection process and understanding what the data is telling us.

As you plan to discuss data with your team, consider these guiding questions:

What stands out in my data?

Are there any gaps in what I’ve collected?

In what ways can encourage my colleagues to discuss data?

What can we do to ensure we are using our data to make good decisions?

We hope you enjoy this episode and that you feel empowered to give your data a voice! To download this episode and others, click here!