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Section 2.2: Establishing Data Collection SystemsIn this stage, you will work with your school and community partners todevelop data collection systems that will allow you to get accurate countsof the focal families you reach, and to track their participation in familyengagement activities and progress on family outcomes. You will develop asystem to collect and analyze student data to track progress toward desiredstudent outcomes (as determined during the planning stage). In addition,you will create a plan to track the implementation of your strategies.What You Do■■■■Review plans and determine what additional data are needed.Develop necessary data collection systems.What You Gain■■■■■■■■Access to the data you will need in order to show progress towardstudent outcomes.A means of tracking the implementation of family engagement strategies.A way to gather information on how many families your initiativehas reached.A means of tracking each family’s participation in activities over thecourse of your initiative and progress toward family outcomes.Data systems should be in place before the start of the school year (or thestart of your family engagement activities, whichever comes first) so thatyou can start capturing data from the beginning of your initiative. This iscritical both to show progress over time and to evaluate the effectiveness ofyour work with families. The data you collect should be determined by thedesired family and student outcomes of your initiative’s strategies and theindicators – measurable characteristics or milestones that show progresstoward those outcomes – that you identified during the planning phase oryour work (see Section 1.3 for outcomes development and Section 1.6 foridentifying indicators of those outcomes). Data should also be collected onthe implementation of activities that initiative partners have agreed to holdfor families.See “Plan data collection methods” and “Setup a system for monitoring implementationof activities” in Section 1.6 for a review of thefollowing topics:■■■■■■■■■■■■■■Using single versus multiple methods.Using existing data sources.Selecting a sample of individuals.Assigning staff and others to collect thedata.Establishing a schedule for datacollection.Aligning data collection with out-comesand activities.Outlining responsibility for trackingimplementation.SECTION 1.1 2.2 49