School data should represent a balanced focus on academic and behavioral data, without treating these as more important than other forms of data that may be valuable to a wide range of audiences (leading with families and children).
Useful information about schools should be reliable and accessible to a wide range of audiences, integrating qualitative (e.g., interviews, stories, etc.) and quantitative (e.g., state and district report) information to provide traditional and innovative data about schools to a wide range of families, educators, and young people.
Data should be presented in short-cycle and cumulative/longitudinal forms, representing the results of school improvement efforts and the unique and valuable contributions of schools and communities that serve diverse children well. This means that sources of information should represent schools as well as the families and communities served.
Data should not be used to embarrass, harass, penalize, or rank schools, districts, or educators. Instead, data should be a tool to support thoughtful decision-making by families while informing school and district innovation and improvement efforts.
Husband of a DPS principal. Father of two DPS-enrolled students. Former DPS teacher. Nearly 20-year Denver resident. Clinical Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Relations (HDFR) in the School of Education and Human Development at CU Denver. Founder of Denver Journal of Education and Community. DJEC Editor in Chief.
Dara Marin Prais has a Ph.D. in Educational Research, Evaluation, and Assessment, and brings with her a diverse teaching and educational background. She began her career in education as a classroom educator for over 10 years, teaching both K-12 special education and elementary general.
Born in Colorado. Son of two educators. One brother named Christian. Currently serving as a high school guidance counselor in Aurora. Doctoral candidate studying educational equity in urban and diverse communities. Lover of books basketball and music.
Richard is the Chief Executive and Creative Officer of RNR Creative Enterprises, and Founder of The Collective Social Enterprises. He has more than 20 years of experience creating, developing, and implementing brands and integrated strategic communications to advance organizational identity.
School Data Antwan Jefferson, PhD I’ll keep this letter brief. First, on the day that I’m writing this letter, our city and region are experiencing the immediate after-effects of an act of gun Read more…
School Data The purpose, the audience, the outcome By | Allan Tellis, Chief Writer, Denver In our contemporary era, the collection and analysis of data play an important role in how we come to Read more…
School Data Scholar perspective By | Dara Marin Prais, PhD When you think of “data,” what comes to mind? For many people, if not most, initial thoughts lean toward quantitative or numerical values that can Read more…
School Data Community perspective By | Camille Driver Data is often talked about in quantitative terms: “65% of Americans voted for….” or “1 in 5 children are…” You can spot quantitative data as it centers Read more…
School Data Educator perspective By | Miguel Ortega Data, for all the times it has been used to construct an ‘objective’ portrayal of reality, is complex and prone to many subjective factors. The difficulty of Read more…
School Data Student perspective By | Reem Saeed When it comes to selecting which school their child will attend, often a parent’s decision relies on the use of data points. Graduation rates, test scores, and Read more…
2373 Central Park Blvd., Ste. 100
Denver, CO 80238
VINE | Research & Data Hub
303-333-5688
English 
Spanish