CDLI_Guidebook_18_Final_Print

WHY IS MAKING MEANING OF DATA IMPORTANT?
Programs collect extensive data--administrative, performance, and outcomes data--which provide insight
into process, strategies, and participant experiences. Data can tell us who attends our programs, what
they are learning, and how they are changing. Alone, data are only numbers and words. For the numbers
and words to support telling the story of our programs, we need to begin to understand what the data
are telling us, what it means for us, and how to use data to help us determine what we should celebrate
and where we can grow. Sometimes we jump too quickly to changes we want to make before we give
data the time and attention it deserves. The key to using data effectively is asking some important
questions first:
• What do we have to consider? Are improvements needed?
• How do we make such improvements?
• What do we do when we determine which improvements are needed?
The process of making meaning of data provides us with an
opportunity to examine data from our programs and explore
what we can change to provide staff with resources and tools
to support the development of character in the young people
with which they work. Our goal with using data to develop
character is to measure the progress towards our mission
and to support continuous improvement in the service and
delivery of youth development work.
To use data to develop youth character, we recommend
using the Assess-Plan-Improve cycle (see A Closer Look:
Overview of the Assess-Plan-Improve Cycle) to establish a
support system for continuous improvement. The API cycle
begins with assessing the program to understand strengths
and areas for growth, then team-based planning with data
for improvement, and finally carrying out the plan utilizing
targeted opportunities for improving. When you collect data, you should expect to be able to use that
data to develop a plan to improve your program. For every piece of data you have, your program team
should be able to ask yourselves three key questions: “What does the data tell us?” So what –
“What we learning and how can we use it for improvement?” Now what – “How do we act on
our data and what do we do next?” These three questions are the key to making meaning of data.
MAKING MEANING OF DATA: PLANNING
Using your data and making decisions and improvements based on it is essential to enhancing the
quality of your program and to the continuous improvement process. You might be making meaning of
data so that you can develop a Program Implementation Plan (PIP) or you might be making meaning of
data after you have completed your PIP. At either timepoint, analyzing, and acting on your analysis are
critical to designing and delivering high-quality youth programs. In the CDLI, your CDLI implementation
team will have access to several data sources to inform your work. What do you do after you receive
your data reports? Who at different levels of your youth programs do you involve? How do you determine
next steps? By making meaning of your data!
GETTING STARTED
As you begin planning to make meaning of your data, consider that it is a process that needs to be
given careful attention and time, and several steps are required to ensure that it is done well. It may
take some time for your team to get used to the process. It might not be feasible to have a making
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT GUIDEBOOK
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