MEASURING WHAT MATTERS: EXERCISES IN DATA MANAGEMENT
B Measuring What Matters: Exercises in Data Management—Exercise 4: Use and Share
Acknowledgments The National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement would like to acknowledge
the leadership of the Harvard Family Research Project, with support from the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, in developing this resource. These organizations represent diverse roles, expertise, and
perspectives; their input and feedback were essential in creating this resource. We recognize and value the role of parents and programs in making a difference for children, families, and communities.
This document was originally developed with funds from Grant #90HC0003 and modified with funds from Grant #90HC0014 for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families,
Office of Head Start, and Office of Child Care, by the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. This resource may be duplicated for noncommercial uses without permission.
For more information about this resource, please contact us: PFCE@ECtta.info | 1-866-763-6481
Suggested citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement.
(Revised 2019). Measuring What Matters: Exercises in Data Management—Exercise 4: Use and Share.
Measuring What Matters: Exercises in Data Management—Exercise 4: Use and Share
Measuring What Matters Exercise 4: Use and Share Exercise 4 is about using and sharing data. Using and sharing data means relying on information—rather than hunches or anecdotes—to guide program decision-making and improvements. It also means using data to understand and convey the progress your program is making.
This exercise introduces the Four As of sharing data: 1) accurate, 2) appealing, 3) accessible, and 4) audience-specific. It also shows how to use data to make decisions and drive program improvement.
In this exercise, you will follow a scenario about a fictional Head Start program that uses and shares data related to the experiences that families have when their children transition to kindergarten.
You can use this exercise to:
How to Use Exercise 4
On Your Own • Read the story, Using and Sharing Data to Improve the Transition to
Kindergarten. • Reflect on similarities with your program’s PFCE work. • Review the instructions for completing the tables and worksheets. • Complete the tables and worksheets using information from your
program.
With a Group • Follow the first two steps in On Your Own (above). • Write any remaining questions you have about the data concepts in
the exercise. • Create a plan for applying the data concepts from the exercise to your
own work.
The Four Data Activities to Support Family Progress Toward Positive Family Outcomes
CollectPrepare
Use and
Share
Aggregate and
Analyze
The exercises in this series are organized to follow the Four Data Activities. Each of these exercises focuses on a specific activity:
Begin with the Prepare exercise and follow with Collect, Aggregate and Analyze, and Use and Share. There may be times when it is useful to revisit one of the Four Data Activities as you learn more about your program’s data and progress.
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