Leading with Data for Action and Impact

EDU A052 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Organizations are awash in data.  Yet more data does not automatically lead to better decisions or more just outcomes.  Still, you want your work to matter.  You aspire to launch or lead an organization that changes how people learn and live. As a leader with access to data, you may not run the analyses yourself, but you will be the one deciding which questions to ask, which evidence to trust, and what to do next.

This course is for future education and social-impact leaders who want to use data as a practical tool to inform better decisions, foster continuous improvement, and create greater impact.  Students will learn foundational concepts of data literacy and evidence use, examine cases from public, private, and non-profit (independent) sector organizations, and practice turning real-world data into concise stories that connect evidence to action for impactful change.

Throughout the semester we will pay particular attention to: (1) whose voices and experiences – stories – are (and are not) represented in organizational data; (2) how power, culture, and context shape both the collection and interpretation of data; (3) how leaders can build data cultures that are collaborative, inquiry-oriented, and equity-focused; and (4) the real constraints – limited time and budgets, messy and incomplete data, political pressures – that impede effective data use, as well as the ethical use of data, including consent, representation, and unintended consequences.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
•    Create a clear problem statement and theory of action for an education or social-impact initiative;
•    Specify focused learning and measurement questions that guide what data are collected and how they are used;
•    Interpret and probe data summaries, and communicate their implications clearly to funders, partners, boards, and communities; and
•    Reflect on the possibilities and limits of “data-driven” decision-making across different cultural, political, and resource environments, and lead teams to use data thoughtfully; and
•    Develop data stories that provide a clear, compelling narrative that explains what is happening, why it matters, and what should happen next.