Seek, and Ye Shall Find Resources
Do you remember DQC’s old resource library? If so, we’re sorry. Kidding! There was a lot to love about our old resource library—after all, it contained all our great reports, presentations, and other materials on using data to improve student achievement—but it was also bloated and fussy. Even we sometimes had trouble finding what we were looking for.
Well that era is gone! With the launch of our redesigned website Wednesday, we introduced a brand new Find Resources section, one that’s streamlined and user-friendly. Allow me to highlight just a few of its features:
Filtering: Not only can users filer by type, from fact sheets to videos, but also by topic area and state. The Find Resources search also pulls in content from other areas of the site, Success Stories and the blog, making it a one-stop-shop for the best resources DQC has to offer. And it's a cinch to add or remove as many filters as you want.
Fewer and Better: Our old library had over 1,000 resources, often making it difficult to find our best materials on a topic. No more! We’ve narrowed the section to include only materials authored by DQC, and we’ve removed many obsolete publications. If you’re looking for our latest work on, say, teacher effectiveness, you won’t be confused by a lot of old materials with outdated data. Foundational publications to our work are of course still available, and the most relevent topic-specific materials are now easier to find.
Sharing: It’s easier than ever to share our materials with your networks, as each resource features buttons to distribute it via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, or email.
Find more: Find something you like? Don’t stop there. Every resource page features a list of related resources that may also interest you, as well as links to more materials that share the same topic.
We’ve worked hard to ensure our new Find Resources section gets you what you want as easily as possible. But it’s only as good as it is useful! Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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Tell It Again, Tell It Again!
Joseph, one of my fifth-grade students (whose name was changed for this story), was motivated by data. On our first math test of the year, he scored a 29 percent. When he understood that he could track his daily quizzes through a bar graph himself, his eyes lit up, and you could see the excitement of a challenge in his face. He could see for himself on the days when he needed more practice. He saw the numbers, and they inspired him. The data let us know where he was, so we could work together to get him the skills and the practice the he needed. Joseph and I used data for the whole next unit to know what he needed extra help on, and when it came time to return unit two exams, Joseph had scored an 82 percent!!
Here at the Data Quality Campaign, we are constantly inundated with stories just like mine, about people, programs, and states that are using data in their day-to-day lives to continuously improve education from early childhood on. As we worked to redesign our website, we knew that we had to have a portion of the website be dedicated to the tales of education data work happening all around us. DQC wants to honor the work that is happening and share best practices and tales of excitement about the power of education data with each of you.
We know that there are powerful stories of data being used to change lives around the country, like Joseph in my classroom.
This section of our website is meant to share the important work that is happening at all levels of education system, from the statehouse to the classroom, to the kitchen table. Many people and organizations seek us out to tell us about the power that data are having in improving student achievement, and others continue to ask who uses data the best! So we thought we’d share. Here’s what you can expect to find on the Success Stories section of our new website:
Data in Your Words
Buckle your seat belts and grab your tissues. These videos capture the stories of teachers, parents, principals, and other data users that are putting data to work to change lives and improve outcomes for every student.
State Success Stories
States are working hard to ensure that all students can succeed in college and careers. Here we have captured states that are making extraordinary leaps in not just collecting data but helping people like parents and teachers use them. Don’t see your story here, but you know there’s great work happening? Don’t worry, you can share it with us below in the “Tell Your Story” section.
Tell Your Story
We are seeking new stories all the time, and if you have one, here’s the place to tell us about the educational progress that you’re seeing in part thanks to data.
Browse the success stories on our website. Which stories do you like? What do you want to hear more about? Leave us a comment below! We’ll respond, we promise.
