August 2023 Newsletter

Tune into the latest episode of Mathematica’s On the Evidence podcast about using data to advance equity from pre-K through the workforce and making data more available and useful to state decision makers. The episode features Naihobe Gonzalez, senior researcher at Mathematica and co-author of the E-W Framework report, along with Keith White of the Public Education Foundation Chattanooga and Sara Kerr and Ross Tilchin of Results for America. The guests discuss efforts to seamlessly modernize statewide longitudinal data systems to understand the experiences and outcomes of people across pre-K, K-12, postsecondary, and workforce systems.

As we continue to spread the word about the E-W Framework, we are interested in learning more about how our partners are implementing components of the framework and what strategies they are using along the way. Please contact us to share your experience using the framework if you are interested in being featured on our website or in a future newsletter.

Earlier this month, Mathematica hosted an exhibitor table at the U.S Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics STATS-DC Data Conference in Bethesda, Maryland. The team shared information about the framework and offered an interactive poster activity to engage conference attendees. Presenters invited participants to engage with the framework’s 20 essential questions and provide feedback on which questions were most important to their organization and community. Team members also attended conference sessions to make connections to promote awareness and adoption of the framework. Over the course of the conference, team members talked with 50 conference attendees, and approximately 25 participants completed the interactive activity.

Education and Workforce Data Systems Should Answer Our Questions, Not Shape What We Ask

Author: Naihobe Gonzalez, Mathematica

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to identify critical action-oriented questions and ensure pre-K-to-workforce data systems are designed to answer them, not limit them. This blog post discusses examples of promising local initiatives to link data systems and answer community questions and presents the E-W Framework’s essential questions, indicators, and metrics as key considerations for efforts to modernize data systems.

Seven Principles to Center Equity and Transform Data into Action

Author: Adrian Neely, Mirror Group

Although data can be used to make informed decisions, data can also be misused to reinforce deficit narratives, biases, and long-standing structural inequities. This blog post explores a real-world example of the E-W Framework’s seven Data Equity Principles in action.

Opportunity for All: Aligning Data Systems to Address Disparities from Pre-K Through the Workforce. The recording and slides from the June 13 webinar are now available. Representatives from Mathematica, Mirror Group, and the Data Quality Campaign discussed how to increase collaboration and alignment across local, state, and national data systems to help address disparities along the pre-K-to-workforce continuum. Presenters highlighted the need for improved access to data and discussed the framework’s data equity principles in further detail.

Interested in learning more about how you can use the E-W Framework to support multiple student pathways to success? Explore our Student Pathways Supplemental Resource—an overview of how the E-W Framework can support decision making for systems and students, foster pathway opportunities, and determine whether the right conditions are in place to help students succeed. In this resource you can:

Remember to visit the Resources page of our website to find at-a-glance documents, visual handouts, and more. These include:

Have a question? Seeking additional support? Use the Contact Us feature on our website to send the team a message, and we’ll reach out to connect!

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