Engaging with Data

Engaging Strategy
An engaging strategy guides participants to explain or apply ideas, elaborate on their thought processes, listen to each other and build upon the ideas of others, and reflect on and process what they are learning.
Description

This protocol offers a structured and condensed way to engage with data, with a focus on reflecting on implications and developing next steps. A more comprehensive data protocol using an equity lens is available in the CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL. Participants are invited to make meaning out of data in order to drive change. Protocol uses a questioning strategy focused on predictions, descriptions, interpretations and implications that support gaining new insights.

When and Why

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Particularly useful as an initial engagement with a limited data set that the group will be using to make decisions. Participants can experience the purpose of a data protocol especially when they are new to the process of using data as part of the change process. Helps to focus a discussion when there is the potential for participants to become distracted by certain data points or root causes.

How to Facilitate

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  1. Reflect on the current context, the demographics of participants, and the purpose of the data review and discussion. Consider participants’ past experiences with data and how it has been used to include or exclude them from decisions. Invite participants to share their past experiences with data and what they think will be important to pay attention to in this data discussion.
  2. Predictions: Explain which data you have in hand and ask participants to predict what they think the data will say. Chart the responses.
  3. Descriptions: Distribute the data and ask participants to work in pairs to describe what they see while avoiding judgments or jumping to interpretations. What trends do they notice? Chart the trends.
  4. Interpretations: Ask pairs to discuss what the data suggests. Encourage participants to come up with as many interpretations as possible, ask each other questions, and base their responses on evidence from the data set. Chart the interpretations.
  5. Implications: In pairs, invite participants to recommend next steps, develop strategies that may be effective in addressing the evidence found in the data and suggest additional data that might be helpful to look at. Chart the discussion. If the group does not bring up equity considerations this would be an opportunity to suggest some guiding questions.
  6. Debrief: Ask participants to write or discuss with a partner any or all of the following questions. Invite share-outs.
    • “What did you learn from listening to others that was interesting or surprising?” 
    • “What new perspectives did others provide?” 
    • “How well did the process work?”
    • “What could be improved?”

Modification

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  • This can be done in small groups instead of in pairs, and groups can be responsible for charting and sharing out their responses between steps.
  • In a virtual environment, a tool such as a shared whiteboard can be set up ahead of time for pairs or small groups to chart their notes.

References

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Adapted from the National School Reform Faculty ATLAS Looking at Data Protocol

How does Engaging with Data support SEL?

Social Awareness/Belonging:
Participants are encouraged to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. Facilitators create an experience of acceptance, respect, and inclusion within a group or community.

Responsible Decision-making/Curiosity:
Participants have an opportunity to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. Facilitators design an activity that leads to the pursuit of knowledge and different perspectives and contributes to attention, engagement, and learning.
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