Equity in Data: A Framework for What Counts in Schools

by Andrew Knips, Sonya Lopez, Michael Savoy, Kendall LaParo

Overview

Building a better data culture can be the path to better results and greater equity in schools. But what do we mean by data?

Your students are not just statistics. They aren't simply a set of numbers or faceless dots on a proficiency scale. They are vibrant collections of experiences, thoughts, perspectives, emotions, wants, and dreams. And taken collectively, all of that information is data—and should be valued as such.

Equity in Data not only unpacks the problematic nature of current approaches to data but also helps educators demystify and democratize data. It shows how we can bake equity into our data work and illuminate the disparities, stories, and truths that make our schools safer and stronger—and that help our students grow and thrive.

To this end, the authors introduce a four-part framework for how to create an equitable data culture (along with a complementary set of data principles). They demonstrate how we can rethink our approach to data in the interest of equity by making five shifts:

* Expand our understanding of data.
* Strengthen our knowledge of data principles.
* Break through our fear of data.
* Decolonize our data gathering processes.
* Turn data into meaningful, equitable action.

We have an opportunity to realign school data with what students want out of their educational experiences. When we put equity first, we put students first.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416631392
Publisher:	ASCD
Publication date:	10/06/2022
Pages:	180
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Andrew Knips has more than a decade of experience teaching students, leading teams, and coaching leaders in Philadelphia's public, alternative, and charter schools. He is an education leadership coach, executive coach, data consultant, and racial literacy trainer. Previously, he was a high school English teacher and school administrator. Andrew has observed thousands of teacher team and leadership team meetings, facilitated hundreds of professional learning sessions, coached hundreds of educators, and collaborated on equity audits in over a dozen schools and organizations. He has designed dozens of data tools and systems for teachers and leaders. He has presented at conferences such as AERA and NCTE and has published articles on blogs such as Edutopia and Education Post.

Sonya Lopez is currently a school-based social worker in Philadelphia. She has worked for more than a decade in schools in a number of roles, including language arts and literature teacher, school administrator, and director of social-emotional learning at a K–12 charter school. Across settings, her approach to practice supports a contextual understanding of individual experiences through a systems lens and a holistic perspective of identity. Throughout her career, Sonya has collaborated with clinicians, therapists, creatives, educators, and families in Philadelphia to shape environments informed by understanding mental health, resilience, sociopolitical contexts, trauma, and grief.

Michael Savoy has 25 years of educational experience, including teaching mathematics at the middle school, high school, and college levels; working with community organizations on school policy, advocacy, and involvement; and working with K–12 teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators to improve the equitable education experiences and opportunities for all their students. Throughout his educational career, he has continued to focus on ways to dismantle educational inequities, improve educational environments, and involve more parent and community members in the success of all students. He is the author of several journal articles and book chapters on educational change.

Kendall LaParo is an education researcher and sociologist who studies inequality in school systems. She currently works as a quantitative researcher at Research for Action, an education research firm in Philadelphia. She also cofacilitates Philadelphia's Data &amAssessment Community of Practice, a gathering space for education leaders. Kendall began her career as an elementary school teacher in Camden, New Jersey. While teaching, she discovered a passion for education research and now uses her experience as an educator to inform her data science work. She served as director of analytics at the education nonprofit Springboard Collaborative, where she managed data collection and analysis for three national out-of-school-time literacy programs that served more than 5,000 students each year. She also worked as a researcher at the School District of Philadelphia and Temple University’s Public Policy Lab.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viii

Introduction 1

Equitable Data Principles 21

1 A Framework for Equitable Data Culture 27

2 Schools: School Identity, Equity Audits, Goals, and Public Statements 45

3 Classrooms: The Gifted Lens and Student Data Conversations 68

4 Student Well-Being: Healing-Centered Engagement, Restorative Practices, and Tracking Critical Incidents 80

5 Teacher Selection: Recruitment, Hiring, and Evaluation 94

6 Professional Learning Communities: An Extended Example of EDC 114

Data Meeting Traps 132

7 Professional Learning: Action Research and Coaching 136

8 Conclusion 155

References 163

Index 168

About the Authors 173

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Data is neither mystical nor magical. It is a tool along with many other tools in educators' hands. It can be used fairly or unfairly—justly or unjustly—equitably or inequitably. Equity in Data shows us how to make ethical, just decisions using data. This is an important book for all educators."
—Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, professor emerita, FBA Department of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"Equity in Data provides a timely framework for aspiring and current school leaders interested in learning how to make equitable evidence-based decisions. It is a must read for administrative leadership preparation programs and professional development programs for current principals."
—Dr. Travis Bristol, associate professor, University of California, Berkeley School of Education

"Equity in Data is a contribution to the literature on how to create equitable classrooms and schools. There's definitely something for everyone here, so add it to your shelves!"
—Elena Aguilar, author of Coaching for Equity

"Collecting, interpreting, and analyzing data can feel daunting to classroom teachers, those whose day-to-day responsibilities are increasingly complex. Not only does Equity in Data demystify these processes through the Framework for Equitable Data Culture (EDC), but it also expands our definitions of what counts as necessary data in schools and positions analysis as a collaborative endeavor. Through numerous vignettes from educators, a variety of reflection and application questions, and a myriad of easy-to-engage tools, Knips, Lopez, Savoy, and LaParo have authored a text that is certain to resonate with equity-minded classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, instructional coaches, school administrators, and policymakers alike who seek to actualize student achievement through a justice-oriented lens."
—Dr. Wintre Foxworth-Johnson, assistant professor, University of Virginia's School of Education and Human Development

"The authors provide a much-needed critical framework for centering equity in data use. Rich with practical examples and calls to action, the authors expand our understanding of both the benefits and challenges of using data and how leaders can create an equitable data use culture. They highlight how data use is more than a technical task—it is a way to engage in collective movement toward humanizing and equitable educational practices."
—Dr. Vicki Park, associate professor, San Diego State University's Department of Educational Leadership

"Compelling and brave, Equity in Data explores the most important work of an educator: creating equitable opportunities for ALL students to find success. A fearless and comprehensive approach to data selection and analysis, using an equity lens, is essential to this work. This is the guidebook."
—Jenifer Rayne, principal, Pocomoke High School, Maryland

"Equity in Data provides critical insight into how to integrate an equity-focused mindset and approach to data analysis in our schools in a manner that interrogates the very definition of data. As school leaders in an inherently inequitable society and educational system, it is our moral obligation and responsibility to disrupt the (in)visible inequitable practices in our schools, but the path to do so is too often unclear. This book provides concrete strategies and resources on how to get that process started.
—Prerna Srivastava, principal, John Welsh Elementary, School District of Philadelphia

"This book was written with such care. From the author descriptions to the data principles, I felt like the information was going to be true, valid, and purposeful. There are few texts that make sure that the reader is comfortable enough to absorb the very important information. This one is special."
—Robyn J. Murphy, MEd, literacy consultant

"Equity in Data highlights the importance for school communities to engage in inquisitive exploration. Philly schools, my school included, have benefited working closely with Andrew Knips and his colleagues. Our work together strengthened shared missions through ongoing collaboration in order to threaten inequities in the school system. This book is a clearly written call to action for all who believe in equitable outcomes for our children."
—Heather Martin, teacher, Bayard Taylor Elementary, School District of Philadelphia

"Equity in Data beautifully lays out a set of 12 guiding equity principles to help facilitate the journey into how to center equity when making data considerations at the classroom and school level. The authors highlight how it's not enough to simply view data through an equity lens; they stress the importance of accounting for equity at every step of the data collection process—from planning to analysis to application."
—Michelle Golobish-Gainer, project manager, Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, School District of Philadelphia

"This has the potential to create a real shift in how educators connect to data. It does a masterful job at getting the readier to learn and view the stories of students and teachers/school staff, and the reader is forced to check their own possible biases and privileges along the way. The power of the student testimonies gives readers a doorway into what is really going on every day in the classroom. The School Identity section is something that isn't talked about enough! It is so important to be able to build, review, or analyze data. School identity can unlock so many understandings and bring life and character to data and data-driven processes. Healing-centered engagement should be a fundamental building block for anyone looking to build better school structures and environments for the future."
—Saxon Nelson, director of community engagement, Research for Action in Philadelphia