The following statement is from Data Quality Campaign President and CEO Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger and the Data Quality Campaign staff:
Our nation is hurting because we have not done enough to ensure that our Black community is safe—and we hurt along with it. The Data Quality Campaign stands against racism and we unequivocally state that Black lives matter. As we try to comprehend the effects of systemic racism in our country, we reaffirm our commitment to stand with the Black community and all those working to bring about long-overdue change, and we commit to being part of the solution.
We commit to continue seeking the counsel of diverse voices on our Board of Directors, collaborating with partners serving communities of color, and elevating voices from the field. We commit to advocate for indicators that uncover inequities (e.g., student growth measures, data disaggregation, discipline data) and hold states accountable for the transparency Black families deserve about school performance and student outcomes. We commit to using evidence that reflects the varying perspectives of our country to move forward as an organization that values and inspires change and to help leaders move forward to find solutions that make a difference for communities. With humility, we ask you to hold us accountable to these commitments.
There is nothing more concrete than evidence—but using evidence to simply admire the problem is not enough; it must prompt intentional action. The protests we’re seeing around our country are further evidence of the hurt and pain that inaction has caused. This country has all the data it needs to highlight the inequities in our systems and find solutions that work. It’s time to use it to make real change.
