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Four-stage data strategy cycle — understand, collect, transform, socialize — carried by a data strategist working with a team leader

Design · All designs
Evidence · no claims cited

Description

This pattern describes how school-based data work is organized in NCS partner high schools. A data strategist moves through four stages: understand (know the research, the data systems, and which teams need what data), collect (find and download the needed data), transform (clean, merge, and build graphs, rosters, tables, and reports that spur teams to action), and socialize (bring data to teams, plan meetings, and help individuals understand what the data means). The paper stresses that generating the data and driving the conversation are two sides of the same coin, requiring a skilled data strategist and a team leader who collaboratively brings data to life in team meetings. Figure 3 applies the same four stages to attendance data, from reviewing attendance research to supporting the Care Team's follow-up with chronically absent students.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • A data strategist with analytic skills and fluency in data analysis applications, and a team leader skilled in facilitating data-driven discussions
  • Data strategists benefit from district-provided professional development on school-facing data systems and from professional learning communities for sharing tools

Constraints

  • The paper notes the strategist role varies across contexts and is more often played by an educator already on a team than a stand-alone position

Target Learners

  • school-based data strategists
  • team leaders and teacher teams

Learning Goals

  • analyzing student outcome data to guide practice
  • planning productive data conversations that lead to action

Claims

Examples

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Key Sources

  • Moeller, E., Seeskin, A., & Nagaoka, J. (2018). Practice-Driven Data: Lessons from Chicago's Approach to Research, Data, and Practice in Education. Chicago, IL: UChicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id four-stages-data-strategy-understand-collect-transform-socialize
title Four-stage data strategy cycle — understand, collect, transform, socialize — carried by a data strategist working with a team leader
description This pattern describes how school-based data work is organized in NCS partner high schools.
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-09
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — moeller-2018

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