Just Numbers? Reflections from the 2024 Strategic Data Project Convening
The Strategic Data Project (SDP) 2024 Annual Convening drew together 350+ representatives from SDP’s network of fellows, alumni, partner organizations, and special guests to discuss and explore the interplay between data and social justice.
"Just Numbers," the theme of this year's convening, provokes a dual exploration—celebrating the power of data and evidence in driving decisions and policies, while simultaneously challenging us to consider the deeper, ethical implications of data usage in education.
The theme reminds us that the data points in our analyses and dashboards are not "just numbers" — they are representations of real people. The convening provided a forum to recognize how the ways in which numbers are generated and used have become increasingly complex and contentious, and to provide time and space to grapple with those challenges.
As part of this year's theme, SDP Convening 2024 also issued a call to contemplate critical questions: What are the ethical boundaries in the use of data? How can we maintain a human-centric approach in a world dominated by digits and statistics? And, most importantly, how can we utilize data to foster not just informed, but equitable, fair, and compassionate educational practices?
In probing these questions, the convening provided space to dive into numerous pressing issues in the education space, from culture war book banning to the upcoming ESSER funding cliff.
Click to explore three of the convening sessions: