If this article about the work of a group of Trinity College students, who conducted analysis and compiled some charts to explain the progress of the Sheff v. O’Neill agreement caught your eye, you’re not alone. For our June session, we have invited Jack Dougherty, the Trinity professor who supported this intriguing data work, to talk with us about the process of turning an 87-page legal document into some easy-to-read graphics that the people most affected by this agreement might be able to understand and interact with. Between first-hand experience by students and buried data about the progress of desegregation, the students compiled information that can help residents of the Hartford region advocate for equal access to education as envisioned in this movement.

About the speaker

Jack Dougherty is Professor and Director of the Educational Studies Program at Trinity College. He and his students use tools from digital history, data visualization, and web writing to explore the relationship between cities, suburbs, and schools in metropolitan Hartford, Connecticut. Jack received his B.A. in philosophy from Swarthmore College, taught high school social studies in Newark, New Jersey, then earned his Ph.D. in educational policy studies, with a minor in U.S. history, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At Trinity, he co-created the Liberal Arts Action Lab while serving as its first Faculty Director (2017-2020), and also led the team that launched the Center for Hartford Engagement and Research(CHER) while serving as its first Director (2018-2020). Learn more about his teaching, scholarship, and community engagement at https://jackdougherty.org.

About this group

The Equity in Data Community of Practice is a group-led community of data users in Connecticut who are supporting one another as we work toward more equitable data practices. We focus on racial equity explicitly but not exclusively.

You can read more about our past events here.