In 2021, the Community Service Block Grant team members (part of Connecticut Department of Social Services) talked with us about a challenge. The nine Community Action Agencies in Connecticut are required to conduct a Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment (CNA) every three years. These assessments are very data-heavy, and the staff who complete these assessments are not necessarily trained in data skills. To address this challenge, we developed a three-year project whose goal was to improve the quality of the CNAs by providing skill-building, data support, and a CNA template for CAA staff. Read more here.
Read MoreWhether you work with data frequently or every once in a blue moon, you'll know that data really doesn’t speak for itself. If you were to hand a few graphs to your audience, they would likely be disinterested or, worse, walk away with inaccurate conclusions about the data.
Read MoreOn June 8th, the Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC) hosted its first Data Walk focused on data about youth engagement in Hartford. Earlier this spring, the Hartford Data Collaborative launched its inaugural cohort of Hartford Youth Researchers. HDC coordinators Kate Eikel and Geethika Fernando co-led the presentation of data with Hartford Youth Researchers Shian Earlington, Nicaury Espinoza, Nate Gardner, Winder Munoz, and Daniel White. Officials from the City of Hartford Department of Families, Children, Youth, and Recreation; the Mayor’s office; the Hartford Public Schools; the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; and HDC community partners including Capital Workforce Partners, COMPASS Youth Collaborative, and Our Piece of the Pie, attended the presentation and engaged in a discussion about the findings afterwards.
Read MoreOn Thursday, April 21st, CTData and staff from its Hartford Data Collaborative welcomed its first class of Hartford Youth Researchers. The six youth—who range in age from 16-21-- will be reviewing, analyzing, and reporting on data related to Youth Behavioral Health alongside staff from the Hartford Data Collaborative. In the April workshop, Hartford Youth Researchers engaged in discussions about data literacy and identifying data for a Hartford Youth Profile that will provide the Hartford Data Collaborative and its city partners with insights on city youth and their needs.
Read MoreNational Invest in Veterans Week is observed from March 1 through March 7 each year and provides an opportunity to celebrate and honor our veterans and their contributions to our community and economy. We put together a blog post with some facts about veterans in Connecticut based on data from the 2019 American Community Survey.
Read MoreRedefining normal looks differently for everyone, including us at CTData. To help us all connect, learn, and support each other during this time, we're moving some of our upcoming events online. Whether you'd like to build skills, share resources, or connect with others, join us for one of our virtual events below.
Read MoreResearch student loans and the term “crisis” tends to appear in the search results. Student loan debt has been increasing steadily as the cost of education rises in our country, with student loan debt accounting for over $1.5 trillion in 2019 compared to $260 billion in 2004. In fact, 11% of consumer debt is attributed to student loans with the average student loan debt being around $37,000.
Read MoreThis is the second piece of a four-part series about data literacy and critical data consumerism through the lens of economic prosperity. This post focuses on unemployment. You can read Part 1 about income here. We hope that through this series you will be reminded that we must all continue to be curious about the information we are presented with and work to be critical consumers of data in our everyday lives.
Read MoreWhen you hear the term “literacy,” your mind might immediately jump to phonics flashcards and handwriting worksheets. Or maybe you think of a financial literacy podcast you listen to for investing tips and retirement planning. But what about the term “data literacy”? Here at CTData, we believe data literacy is an important and accessible set of skills that every person needs to possess.
Read MoreConnecticut is a state with many facets. At first glance, Connecticut appears well-resourced and prosperous, having long been cited as one of the wealthiest states in the nation. Those of us that work in our local communities know that there is a more nuanced story behind this facade of wealth. Connecticut continues to rank in the top 3 states for the highest income inequality in the nation.
Read MoreEmpowering people to engage with data is one of the largest challenges facing policymakers, businesses, and community and advocacy organizations. For many individuals, “data” can be an intimidating word that brings to mind an indecipherable spreadsheet or conjures up memories of high school algebra. To help data analysts in their mission, we’ve created the following four quick tips for engaging people with data.
Read MoreWhen you think about making better decisions through data, you might think about numbers, percentages, and bar charts. But the insights you can gain through words can be just as powerful. That’s why we’re launching a new training: Analyzing Qualitative Data.
Read MoreHere at CTData, we enjoy every opportunity to work with people to increase their data literacy skills so they can better use data to inform their decisions. In 2019 alone, we’ve had over 275 adults attend our workshops.
But starting next month, we’re going to be training a new group of Connecticut’s residents: high school students.
Read MoreDo you have questions about your data collection process? Do your survey questions need a thorough examination? Are you looking to reimagine your reporting?
The Connecticut Data Collaborative is offering Data Clinics, which are 90-minute consultancy meetings where we tackle a specific data issue or challenge your organization is facing. We could review an existing or newly developed survey, examine your current data reports, or think about the data operations in your organization to improve how you capture the impact of your work.
Read MoreDid you participate in any of the Data Collaborative's workshops in 2018? Did you join any Open Data Calls or attend a Data Basics workshop? If so, we'd like to hear your feedback and suggestions, what you found helpful and what ideas you'd have to make our events more useful. Please take 5-10 minutes and complete this survey to share your perspective with us!
Read MoreNeed help crafting a narrative from your findings? Which data visualization will have the most impact on your audience? What are the best tools and resources to have in your arsenal?
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