Joy in Data: Part II
In the second installment of this two-part series, the Simplicity team discusses how their work and the joy that they find in data come together and muses about what they wish everyone knew about data.
Data diva Devon hard at work!
How does the joy you find in data show up in your work at Simplicity?
Rebecca: I love working with the smaller schools, such as Val from PACE. You can really see how much she wants to know how to use data and is invested in utilizing what helps her. It’s really rewarding to see the work we do as part of Data Services be impactful not just for her, but also for her students. She’s using their data to make big changes in how she works. I also enjoy seeing when people get comfortable with data tools and can begin to see their school’s data in new and exciting ways.
Devon: I’d agree! Working with schools like PACE and Èlan is very rewarding. Data Services projects are joyful for me – especially when you get to the stage where the data tool we’re working on is ready and our client can use it. I remember the first time that Val updated the dashboard and she squealed with excitement because she could do it. A super gratifying moment.
I also love how Simplicity enables me to meet and collaborate with people who work in education data management and who are helping their schools become more data driven. A big part of the joy I find in data comes from working with other people who fall in this special little bucket!
Melissa: I get a lot of satisfaction out of the kinds of conversations that we’re constantly having as a team. My passion lies in schools and the classroom. When we’re able to talk about projects that could make what we love more accessible to other teachers and kids, that makes me happy.
Devon: I enjoy this as well. We have a data articles Slack channel that I love reading. We’ve nerded out about what we’re reading a few times, all of us critiquing and admiring the visuals and what they’re doing with the data. This is also joyful, working with people who want to stay up to date with data trends.
Rebecca: For me, this shows up in the #DataDrivenFriday posts I write. These posts celebrate data being used in a positive way. I find it very exciting.
Christiana: Um, everywhere! But really when I get on sales calls and pitch how a school could change the way they currently think about data or build data systems. I’ve been told I get quite excited.
Another day, another data set!
What do you wish everyone knew about data that would make them love it as much as you?
Rebecca: Data is not as intimidating as it may seem! When a lot of people think of data, they tend to think of high-level statistical concepts or they think of it as something that’s too hard, too intense, or too much. They end up thinking that they could never take numbers and understand them, where in reality you can interpret and make decisions from a very simple set of numbers.
Devon: I second that. Learning anything new is scary at first. There’s going to be an intimidation factor. You need to fail a few times but the equations you need to make data work for you are not so bad. It’s really possible for everyone to be data-driven – it just takes some learning.
I also wish that more people viewed data as a tool to ask further questions and not necessarily take what the data seems to be saying as the final answer. Especially in education, making decisions on a single data point can be really harmful.
Rebecca: I can relate to this on a personal level as well. I remember when I’d get an 85% on an assignment and be totally devastated, as though it was the end of the world. But working with data so closely has helped me reflect on that it was really just one data point that gave me valuable information about what I needed to change in my study habits.
Devon: Okay, last thing: I wish people didn’t associate data with test scores. There’s a lot of pressure on kids to get good grades, which in turn puts even more unnecessary pressure on data.
Christiana: I wish more people could see that data can be so, so empowering, even for students who are typically punished by it. Especially for kids who have been historically lower performing, if you look at absolute scores it looks devastating and frustrating. But there’s usually always a way to find data that shows an individual student’s growth, which changes everything. Especially for parents.
I remember one student who had some tough learning disabilities. He worked so hard and his mom was so committed. Anytime we saw any movement in the data, we showed them: The hard work you’re doing is paying off. And that was very big for the mom and the student; they rightly celebrated every time.
Melissa: For me, it’s that data can really serve as an opportunity for joy and empowerment for kids. I remember when my students started to ask questions about data that weren’t just “am I going to pass?” but were much more focused on using it as a tool to achieve their goals. It helped me have really constructive conversations. I remember one time a student said to me, “Ms. Cortés, I got a 50. This semester, I want at least a 70. How do I get there?” And then we’d make a plan together.
I’ve also seen data make the seemingly impossible possible. I’ve heard from parents who didn’t think certain goals for their child were possible and who were surprised by the data. They were so excited and grateful whenever this happened. I’ve seen it change the future goals they had for the kid – that’s really joyful.
And that is a wrap! We hope this article series has inspired some data-driven joy on your end. Eager to share? Consider joining our K12 Data Professionals Facebook Group. We’ll be back next week with some insights that we’ve gleaned from yet another team conversation. This time, it’ll be our monthly book club.
