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Where to begin?
Use these to establish a starting point and guide improvement.
Organizational Baseline
Do department leads feel confident reading basic charts or dashboards?
Are staff able to explain what a key metric means in plain language?
Has data ever influenced an operational or policy decision in the last 6 months?
Do we have shared definitions of key metrics (e.g., response time, backlog)?
Use & Comfort
When was the last time we discussed performance in a routine meeting?
Does anyone in the organization currently coach others on data use (formally or informally)?
Have we seen misinterpretation of data cause confusion or pushback?
Next Steps
Which team would benefit most from a 30-minute data fundamentals session?
What is one simple chart or dashboard we can review together next month?
What skill (chart reading, storytelling, analysis) should be the next focus?
Quick Start Checklist
Quick Start Checklist
Use this one-page checklist to get launched this month:
✔ Distribute a Data Concepts 101 handout
✔ Conduct a short staff baseline survey
✔ Hold a 30-minute “Data Speed Dating” session
✔ Assign at least one micro-learning topic for next week
✔ Schedule a monthly data share or reflection conversation
Helpful Considerations (Based on Research)
Helpful Considerations (Based on Research)
From the PNLA Quarterly & Data Literacy Syntheses:
Data literacy education must be practice-based, contextualized, and ongoing.
Learning is more effective when tied to real work tasks (e.g., reading your own dashboard).
Metrics are tools for interpretation — context is critical.
Practical Tip: Begin with examples that staff already care about — e.g., emergency service response data, permit turnaround, resident satisfaction — and use them to build confidence
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