Equity in Data Community Practices and Introduction to Survey Design

Helping people across Connecticut communities develop the data skills needed for their business or organization and expanding public access to data to inform decision-making is what CT Data strives for.

This month and next, CT Data is offering sessions to assist state residents in achieving a better understanding of survey design and equity in the use of data. The sessions, offered through the CTData Academy, are open to those in Connecticut seeking to expand their knowledge in data practices and impact.

CTData is a public-private partnership that empowers an ecosystem of data users by democratizing access to public data and building data literacy skills, serving nonprofits, advocates, policymakers, community groups, and funders in using data to drive policy and improve programs and services, budgeting and decision making at the state, regional and local levels. Advance registration for the training sessions is required, and additional information is available at www.ctdata.org.

With an array of educational initiatives offered throughout the year, CTData Academy provides opportunities to learn new skills and expand knowledge and understanding through workshops and informational sessions focusing on key data topics. The aim is to help participants become more comfortable with using and disseminating data.

"These workshops will focus on the importance of equitable data practices, and creating compelling charts and graphs electronically to support your story, whether in government, business or a nonprofit organization," said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative.

Intro into Survey Design – Thursday, July 21, 10:00 – 12:00, Hartford

Survey data can help participants gather important information about their organization’s programs, clients, and services. There is a science to crafting and designing surveys that gather meaningful insights to improve work. This session provides general guidelines and practices in survey design, including for customer surveys and evaluative surveys, and will provide the knowledge and skills to help individuals create better surveys. In Intro to Survey Design participants will learn how to develop questions that elicit meaningful information, identify survey questions using best practices and create a high-quality survey. This session requires a fee of $30 to attend, however if there is cause to waive the fee, email sarah@ctdata.org. To register go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/intro-to-survey-design-in-person-tickets-336658724307.

Equity in Data: Community of Practice - July 19 & August 16, 11:30am -1:00pm, Hartford

This growing group of data users in Connecticut support each other as they work toward more equitable data practices, focusing in part on racial equity, explicitly but not exclusively. Additional participants are welcome. Among the topics discussed are: How can we make sure we don't make certain groups invisible through how we disaggregate our data? How can we learn to focus our attention on the strengths, rather than the deficits, of groups we are seeking to serve or support? How can we learn from the people who we hope will benefit from our products or services about what their data means to them?

In addition, registration is also now open for a Data Visualization session on Friday, September 23, 9:00 – 12:00, at CTData offices in Hartford. During the September hands-on workshop, participants will learn the principles of data visualization and apply them with free tools. By learning the principles of data visualization individuals will be able to create simple, compelling charts that effectively convey insights to be gained from data, no matter which tool is used. Participants will learn how to make decisions about color and design to communicate their message; create graphs in Datawrapper and Tableau; and make decisions about how much detail to show (or not), depending on the intended audience. Advance registration is at: https://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=5UxWq&m=i1CoXUiEKKcLwRU&b=5dKnZUY6t8V05Io13cC5Ow

CT Data offers a variety of services to empower organizations and individuals to collect, analyze, interpret, visualize, and use their data and public data to make informed decisions. The nonprofit organization is a leading advocate for accessible data for everyone.

“At the Connecticut Data Collaborative, we believe that data literacy is an essential skill for all residents in a democracy, said Sarah Eisele-Dyrli, Assistant Director. “Our definition of data literacy reflects this belief. Each of our workshops gives actionable skills that can immediately be applied, to ensure that data work is ethical and equitable.”

CTData operates the CTData Academy, which provides a range of classes and programs throughout the year, and also provides customized data training, hosts easy-to-use, downloadable data, creates customized data visualizations and interactive data tools, provides data consulting services, and supports a community of data users through events and conferences. More than 200 data sets are now accessible to the public on the CT Data website, including a wide array of subjects and policy categories.

In addition, CTData is the lead organization in Connecticut in the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Data Center Program and the state’s official source for census data. To learn more about the Connecticut Data Collaborative and CTData Academy, visit www.ctdata.org.