Data Lit

Data Lit

By Data, Research, and AccountabilityEducation
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Data Lit episodes

  • Overcoming Data Obstacles

    In this episode, we tackle three obstacles that sometimes prevent staff from engaging with educational data: Separating the signal from the noise, lack of time, and determining next steps. For each we provide listeners with practical tips for how to overcome those barriers so they can more easily implement data literacy skills in their positions.

    Research from the episode:

    • Bernhardt, V. (2004).  Data Analysis for Continuous School Improvement (2nd ed.).  Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education Inc.
    • Data-based Decision Making in Education: Kim Schildkamp, Mei Kuin Lai, Lorna Earl
    • Data Quality Campaign. (2014, February 1). Teacher Data Literacy: It’s About Time. https://dataqualitycampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/DQC-Data-Literacy-Brief.pdf
    • 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
    • Goodwin, B. (2015, November 1). Mindsets are key to effective data use. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/mindsets-are-key-to-effective-data-use
    • Sorrells, A. (2019, December 18). Here’s what 800+ NC teachers think about education data. Education NC. https://www.ednc.org/nc-teacher-education-data-survey/

      • Resources for WCPSS staff:

      • Atlas - Looking at Data protocol
      • Data Driven Dialogue protocol
      • DRA’s Data Literacy Course
      • DRA’s “Evaluating Data after a Pandemic” Office Hours Session
      • 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

        23 min
      • 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

            29 min
          • Exploring Multiple Measures in Your Data Story

            In order to make decisions about how well a school is doing, we need to look at multiple measures in order to uncover the full story. In this episode, your hosts will explore the four main data types (Student Learning, Demographic, Perceptions, & School Processes) by sharing where these types show up in our buildings and how they work together to impact school improvement.

            Research from the episode:

            • Bernhardt, V. (2004).  Data Analysis for Continuous School Improvement (2nd ed.).  Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education Inc.
            • McDonal, J.P., Isacoff, N.M., and Karin, D. (2018). Data and Teaching: Moving Beyond Magical Thinking to Effective Practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
            • Morrison, J. (2008, December 8). Why Teachers Must be Data Experts. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/why-teachers-must-be-data-experts

              • Resources for WCPSS staff:

              • Data-Based Problem Solving for Continuous School Improvement


                • 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

                24 min
              • Do you have what it takes to be Data Lit?

                You got the data! Now what? In this first episode, we explain what it means to be data literate and explore some critical skills data-literate individuals/educators should have.

                Research from the episode:

                • Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (n.d.). EL Takeaways: 8 Data points to ponder. ASCD. https://files.ascd.org/staticfiles/ascd/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el201511_takeaways.pdf
                • Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2015). How to share data with families. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/how-to-share-data-with-families
                • Mandinach, E. (2013, September 13). Data literacy vs assessment literacy. Micheal and Susan Dell Foundation. https://www.dell.org/insight/ellen-mandinach-data-literacy-vs-assessment-literacy/#
                • Precisely Editor. (2019, March 29). What is data literacy & why is it important? https://www.precisely.com/blog/data-integrity/data-literacy-what-it-is-and-why-it-matters

                  • Resources for WCPSS staff:

                  • Smith, M. (2019). Data literacy. Data, Research and Accountability. https://wcpss.truenorthlogic.com/ia/empari/learning2/course/viewCourseSearch?courseId=13130

                    • 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

                    23 min
                  • Being Truly Evidentiary (Part III): An Interview with Rick Wormeli

                    We conclude our conversation with author and educator Rick Wormeli by discussing how teachers can implement best practices without burying themselves in work. After touching upon what ideas about grading we should carry with us in a post-pandemic world, we share our takeaways from our interview.

                    Resources for WCPSS staff:

                    • Goodwin, B. & Rouleau, K. (2020, September 1). Research matters / grading to encourage re-rearning. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/grading-to-encourage-re-learning
                    • Wormeli. R. (2020, May 8). Descriptive feedback techniques - Part 1 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78y5Csm5N8g
                    • Wormeli. R. (2020, May 8). Descriptive feedback techniques - Part 2 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgpumwMOe4g
                    • Wormeli, R. (2018). Fair isn't always equal: Assessment and grading in the differentiated classroom. Stenhouse Publishers.
                    • Wormeli. R. (2011). Redos and retakes done right. Educational Leadership. https://www.newenglandssc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Redos-and-Retakes-Done-Right-Rick-Wormeli-1.pdf
                    • Wormeli. R. (n.d.). Re-learning and re-assessing: Practical tips. Association for Middle Level Education. https://www.amle.org/re-learning-and-re-assessing-practical-tips/
                    • Wormeli. R. (n.d.). We have to prepare students for the next level, don’t we? Association for Middle Level Education. https://www.amle.org/we-have-to-prepare-students-for-the-next-level-dont-we/

                      • 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


                      21 min
                    • Being Truly Evidentiary (Part II): An Interview with Rick Wormeli

                      “Accountability is a mutual commitment to the others’ success,” according to Yale Business School. We unpack this idea in the second part of our three-episode interview with author and educator Rick Wormeli. In doing so, we look into using grades as motivators, the difference between sense-making and meaning-making, as well as why we should be open to giving students second chances on assessments.

                      Resources for WCPSS staff:

                      • Fair Isn’t Always Equal, Rick Wormeli
                      • Re-learning and Re-assessing: Practical Tips by Rick Wormeli (AMLE)
                      • Redos and Retakes Done Right by Rick Wormeli, Educational Leadership (ASCD); Nov 2011, 69(3), pp 22-26
                      • Descriptive Feedback Techniques -Part 1 video by Rick Wormeli
                      • Descriptive feedback Techniques - Part 2 video by Rick Wormeli
                      • We Have to Prepare Students for the Next Level, Don’t We? by Rick Wormeli (AMLE)

                        • 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

                        25 min
                      • Being Truly Evidentiary (Part I): An Interview with Rick Wormeli

                        In this first segment of our three-part interview with educator and author Rick Wormeli, we dive into what is the purpose of grades, what should be included in a grading plan, and how we can balance effective grading policies with accountability mandates.

                        References & Resources:

                        • Re-learning and Re-assessing: Practical Tips by Rick Wormeli (AMLE)
                        • Redos and Retakes Done Right by Rick Wormeli, Educational Leadership (ASCD); Nov 2011, 69(3), pp 22-26
                        • Descriptive Feedback Techniques -Part 1 video by Rick Wormeli
                        • Descriptive feedback Techniques - Part 2 video by Rick Wormeli
                        • We Have to Prepare Students for the Next Level, Don’t We? by Rick Wormeli (AMLE)

                          • 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

                          16 min
                        • Season Two Trailer: Arguing with the Data

                          Welcome to the second season of Data Lit! In this episode, we preview the upcoming season, ask what does it mean to be data literate, and share what we’re looking forward to in the upcoming shows.

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

                          Music for this episode is provided by Moore Square Magnet Middle School’s Maya Smith.

                          Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

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

                          14 min
                        • Season One Review

                          It’s hard to believe that the end of the first season of the Data Lit podcast is upon us. Join Spencer, Serena, and Mellisa as they recap the highlights from their main series around Assessment Methods, Assessment Types, and Feedback.

                          WCPSS staff can earn credit for listening to and reflecting on any of the completed series from this season. Learn more here.

                          Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

                          Theme music provided by Moore Square Magnet Middle School's Maya Smith.

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

                          25 min
                        • Digital Perspectives on Feedback

                          We conclude our series on feedback with a crossover episode, chatting with WCPSS Digital Learning cohosts Chris Zirkle and Katie Heyward, as well as their fellow Digital Learning Coordinator Sadie Hoover. Together we discuss how digital tools can aid teachers in providing feedback for students. Tune in to pick up some practical ideas that you can immediately embed into your classroom!

                          References from the episode:

                          • WCPSS Digital Learning Podcast
                            • Flavorful Feedback Episode
                            • Digital Badges Episode
                            • Giving Meaningful Digital Feedback
                            • Hattie & Timperley (2007) The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research (Vol 77, No1).

                              • Theme music created by Centennial Middle School’s Maya Smith

                              Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

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

                              26 min

                            About Data Lit

                            From the publisher's feed

                            Teachers are inundated with data, but none of those numbers will help if they're not paired with some accessible and informative data literacy training. This podcast seeks to empower teachers with the…