3rd Annual Summit on School Climate and Culture

Have you ever been overwhelmed by an abundance of data—not knowing what to do with it or how to make sense of it. Most importantly, knowing how to inform appropriate actions and concrete decision-making to support student success? You are not alone. Join us for this break-out session to learn about and explore the use and applications of the DMPS Collaborative Problem-Solving Process developed by our Des Moines Public Schools! Within our dynamic and ever-changing world of education, data is becoming more diverse and accessible than in the past. Data is increasingly characterized as an organizational asset, which, in turn, requires engaging various groups of stakeholders and addressing issues/concerns at a systems level. These dynamics of interactions raise new questions about, “Who owns and benefits from this asset?” “Who is disadvantaged and impacted?” “Who is involved and determines what the problem is?” “What is a desired impact (change), for whom, under what circumstances?” “What constitutes evidence, and whose and how actions will affect the expected outcomes?” We use data to generate insights of meaning and value for improvements. To solve complex educational challenges, we need to participate with others in creating shared understandings, sharing our perspectives (assumptions), and better aligning our actions to make a positive impact. Our challenge includes how we engage with data collectively and realize value from data at a systems level to ensure an equitable and quality educational experience for all students. The intent of this break-out session is to expand DMPS’s capacity in collaborative inquiry and decision-making process. We will describe the initial efforts utilizing the Collaborative decision-making process to address problems related to early literacy and male students of color at the district level. This process facilitates greater understanding of not only data, but, equally important, decision-making. While this session is designed for school leadership teams, participants interested in collaborative approaches to looking at and making sense of data will also benefit from this learning experience. Participants will engage in a dialogue and asked to share their perspectives about the potential value and use of the Collaborative decision-making process within their work contexts and settings. We will utilize the participants’ shared insights to further the process and to better facilitate DMPS capacity building.