Resource Library

Episode 17

Release Date: January 26, 2023

Guests: Mary Lane, Education Consultant with the New Hampshire Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education Support, and Michelle Lewis, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Parent Information Center

Sometimes an up-close perspective requires us to step back and take in the long view first. That’s what happened in New Hampshire, the Granite State, where Mary Lane, Education Consultant with the New Hampshire Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education Support, and Michelle Lewis, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Parent Information Center, were on a mission to improve the quality of their state’s Indicator 8 data. In this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman learns more about how their process of capturing the close-up family perspective first required them to step back to consider the “why” behind this indicator.

Episode 16

Release Date: January 12, 2023

Guests: Julie Dean, Early Childhood Special Education Inclusion Specialist;  Ryan Guzman, 619 Coordinator and SSIP Lead,with the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; and Kathy Lenihan, Inclusionary Projects
Coordinator with ESD 105

How states go about data informed decisionmaking is as diverse as the states themselves. In this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman chats with Julie Dean, Early Childhood Special Education Inclusion Specialist; Ryan Guzman, 619 Coordinator and SSIP Lead with the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; and Kathy Lenihan, Inclusionary Projects Coordinator with Educational Service District 105.  Join them to learn more about their State Systemic Improvement Plan’s (SSIP) unique focus on social emotional learning in early childhood.

Are you ready for EDFacts modernization? Help ensure a smooth transition to using EDPass to submit your 618 data collections with this series of guided questions designed to help you conduct a review of your state’s data processes.

Episode 15

Release Date: December 22, 2022
Guests: Kelly Wojcik, Director of Accountability, and Jamie Chambers, Part B Data Manager, with the Nebraska Department of Education

Nebraska. The Cornhusker State. Where wide-open spaces and big ideas go hand-in-hand. In this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman has a heartland heart-to-heart with Kelly Wojcik, Director of Accountability, and Jamie Chambers, Part B Data Manager, with the Nebraska Department of Education. Join us to learn more about their hopes and dreams for the state’s data processes and their plans for moving beyond a “that’s how it’s always been done” mentality to one as wide-open as the Nebraska plains.

Episode 14

Release Date: December 8, 2022
Guests: Herbert Boat, Assistant Director, and Jessica Tuu, Data Manager, with the American Samoa Department of Education’s Special Education Division

One thing we’ve learned: The search for high-quality data is bound by no border, no distance, no ocean. In this far-flung episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman travels to the heart of Oceania to sit down with the American Samoa Department of Education’s Herbert Boat and Jessica Tuu for a chat about challenges, triumphs, and their own unique journey toward becoming data-quality influencers.

Episode 13

Release Date: November 23, 2022
Guests: Donna Flores, Program Director, and Nora Fujihira, Program Manager- Data & Compliance Monitor with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Public School System (PSS)

"Data is everything and everywhere," and to prove it this installment of A Date with Data travels to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Join island-hopping host Amy Bitterman as she sits down with the CNMI public school system's Donna Flores and Nora Fujihira to talk about their journey to improve data quality; support students, teachers, and families; and work with their SEA to develop ever improving data governance policies. Pack your bags; you've got a date tonight.

Episode 12

Release Date: November 10, 2022
Guests: Barbara Mozina, Special Education Adviser for the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education and Dr. Laura Moran, Ph.D., Educational Consultant with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network

Collaboration. Communication. Continuation. These are just a few keystones of improvement. In this second part of our deep dive into Pennsylvania’s ongoing efforts to increase the state's graduation rate and reduce its drop-out rate, guests Dr. Laura Moran and Barbara Mozina share how they helped develop the ability of stakeholders—especially families and students—to provide feedback by creating and maintaining a continuous flow of information and hosting focus groups. It’s the culmination of our double date in the Keystone State, so don’t miss out.