A Date with Data Extra: On the Case with CASE

00:00:03.04  For the IDEA Data Center, I'm Tammy Williams, and this is a special episode of A Date with Data. Today, we're excited to welcome Dr. Zabrina Cannady, the Director of Professional Learning for theCouncil for Administrators of Special Education as we explore how partnerships between leadership organizations and technical assistance centers can strengthen the capacity of both state and local education agencies. We'll discuss how the collaboration between the IDEA Data Center and the Council forAdministrators of Special Education supports special education leaders in building data literacy, improving IDEA data quality, and using data more effectively to guide decisions that improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Welcome, Dr. Cannady, and thank you for joining us.

00:00:52.99  Thank you, Tammy. It is a pleasure to be here. I am so excited to get to spend this time with you today.

00:01:01.81  All right. So get us started. Could you take a moment and tell our listeners a little more about CASE?

00:01:07.92  You know I'm always excited to talk about the CASE organization. And as you said, of course,CASE stands for the Council of Administrators of Special Education. We are an international nonprofit professional organization, and we provide leadership, advocacy, and professional learning to our membership, which is over 6,000 special education leaders across all of the state, Canada, and also various nations around the world. CASE is, of course, a division of the Council for Exceptional Children, otherwise known as CEC, and we really support leaders at every stage of their career. Our mission is to advance the field of special education through professional learning, policy, and advocacy, and I'd love to share our core values with you and with your audience. Those core values, there's four of them, and they are visionary leadership, inclusionary practices, engagement, and integrity. Those are the pillars of CASE and what we try to keep in mind as we, you know, try to fulfill our mission of advancing the field of special education.

00:02:26.23  Given that CASE supports leaders responsible for overseeing programs for students with disabilities, from your perspective, why is high-quality IDEA data essential to strong leadership?

00:02:38.71  Tammy, when I think about strong leadership, what's the word that comes to my mind is "clarity."And that high-quality data is where that clarity comes from. So IDEA data isn't just about compliance reporting.It's really the story of how we're serving our students with disabilities. And you and I have had several conversations about how leaders need to understand and use data to tell their story. We always say that if we don't tell our story, someone will. So that data is so important when it comes to sharing about what is happening in the field of special education. And as leaders, we're making decisions every day, whether it's about staffing, programming, resources, supports. And if we don't have that accurate, reliable data, we are making those decisions in the dark. So that high-quality data is what allows us to move from being so reactive to more proactive. It enables us to identify trends early on to address those gaps that are so, so important and need to be bridged, and then, most importantly, to ensure that students are getting what they need to be successful. One of the things that I always lean into is that data should inform and not overwhelm. But in order for us to be using that data in that informed manner, it has to be accurate, timely, and understood by the people using it. So without that high-quality data, once again, we would be making those decisions in the dark.

00:04:35.83  Can you tell us about any trends you're hearing from your members that connect directly to data quality and reporting challenges they might be experiencing?

00:04:45.20  Absolutely. One of the best things about being involved with a professional organization is the networking and the talking with others in the field and hearing about what they're dealing with, and what are the trends? What is relevant? What's going on out there in the field? So one of the biggest things that I'm hearing from our members right now is how complex data systems are, and not just complex, but often disconnected. So you've got leaders out there who are navigating multiple platforms, multiple requirements, and then sometimes those systems don't talk to each other very well. So one of the examples that I can give you is when I think about a student information system being different from a student IEP system and those two systems not really conversing with each other so that sometimes there's double data input and those challenges like that. So that's one of the things that I'm hearing out there from our members. Another trend thatI've been hearing repeatedly is capacity. Many special education leaders today aren't coming into the role with deep training and data analysis, but yet they are expected to lead with data in very sophisticated ways. This is creating a lot of pressure on some of the special education leaders across the nation that maybe haven't come up through special education. Maybe they've come from general education where data was looked at through a different lens, or they're coming from corporate America. So there is that just downright capacity. And then there's also that balance, that very difficult balance between compliance and meaningful use. So we've got leaders out there working so hard to meet reporting requirements, but they're also trying to make sure that the data is actually driving instruction and improving outcomes, that it's not just being submitted. They don't want to use the data just to check off boxes. It needs to be something that is ensuring that students with disabilities are making gains. So what I hear over and over is, how can this be manageable? And even more importantly, how can this be meaningful?

00:07:30.63  Thank you. IDC values the long-standing partnership we have between our two organizations.What does this partnership make possible that neither organization can accomplish alone?

00:07:43.20  Oh, wow. I love the collaboration that we have between IDC and CASE. And I think the thing that makes it so powerful is that it brings together two critical pieces: that content expertise and then the leadership application. So the IDEA Data Center brings that deep technical knowledge around data quality, systems, and requirements, while CASE brings direct access to the leaders who are doing this work every day in states and district. So when you put those two together, you really move from theory to practice. And this is where I want to give another example of some work we've done in the past, Tammy. And that is when, as part of the NewDirectors Network, IDC presented on using data to tell your story. But you didn't just bring data and ask the participants to make of it what they would. You actually had a practitioner who shared how they took data and told their story to their board and their community, to their superintendent and their coworkers in different departments. So that was just, I think, a beautiful example of the collaboration between our two organizations.So with the two of us working together, the two organizations working together, we're able to take that complex data, those concepts around that complex data, and then translate it into something that leaders actually use in real time. Doing that, we're also able to elevate the voices in the field so that the support being developed is grounded in real challenges rather than assumption. So really and truly, that's where the magic happens: when support is both technically sound and practically relevant.

00:09:50.25  Well, speaking about our collaboration between CASE and IDC, how do you see that, working together, the two organizations support compliance and results for improving student outcomes?

00:10:04.03  Having been around for as long as I have, this is actually, when you put it all together, my 32nd year in education, and specifically special education. I think about for how long compliance and results have been seen as two separate things, but in actuality, they shouldn't be. So strong data quality, the kind that is supported by IDC, that's the foundation of compliance. But when leaders understand that data and know how to use it, that's when it starts driving the results that are so desired. So through our collaboration, we're helping leaders connect those dots. We're not just out there saying, "Okay, this is what needs to be reported." We are actually saying, "Here is how this information can help you improve instruction, allocate resources more effectively, and ultimately impact student outcomes." So compliance, that becomes the floor, not the ceiling, and then that real goal, it's a continuous improvement that we all want to see.

00:11:25.39  So in thinking about moving to upcoming opportunities for our listeners, can you tell us about some things that are coming up in the future that can support our listeners that they might need to be aware of?

00:11:39.09  Absolutely. There are so many great opportunities going on right now for leaders to stay connected and continue building their capacity. And I definitely have to say, stay tuned for more collaboration between CASE and IDC, because those are kind of ongoing and keep coming around, so don't miss that. But through CASE, we offer that ongoing professional learning, everything from our New Directors Network webinars, which I already mentioned, which, IDC is usually a part of this, that program at some point during the annual programming. And that's webinars that give resources and tools to support our newer administrators.But we also offer resources and tools to support leaders all along their journey, and those, you can find on theCASE website. You can go to the Professional Learning tab to see all the things that are being offered. We're doing our first virtual book study right now. We've been doing a series on low-incidence disabilities that, both of those have gotten really, really good reviews. And then, of course, our in-person events. Our annual CASE conference is always a great opportunity to learn, connect, and collaborate with colleagues from across the country. And then in April, we are having our third annual Academy of Law and Leadership. That is going to be right here in my home state. It'll be in Atlanta, Georgia. And that is an event that brings together practitioners along with our attorney partners. So you get both sides of the coin at that event. And it is for anyone who is responsible for compliance. It is really a great opportunity for professional learning. So through our partnership, we're also excited about expanding access to resources and technical assistance specifically focused on data quality and data use. I know that, Tammy, you're doing a couple of sessions at the CASE conference, which will be in Rhode Island in November. I don't think I mentioned that, the location. I know I mentioned the CASE conference. But it's going to be in Rhode Island. And I know that IDC will be there with a couple of sessions where you can go and learn about how to use your data in a way that conveys the story of your students and how they are making gain. So I encourage you to look at that and take advantage of all of these supports and to remember that you do not have to do this work alone. There is an entire network of support that is out here and ready to help you navigate it. So just really encourage you to check out the IDC website, check out theCASE website, and then remember that you don't have to figure this out all by yourself.

00:14:53.12  Exactly. Thank you, Dr. Cannady, and to CASE for joining us today as we continue our partnership to support special education leaders across the U.S.

00:15:05.27  A Date with Data is produced by the IDEA Data Center, which is funded by the US Department of Education. Have a story about special education data that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you.Reach out to us at IDEAData@Westat.com. To learn more about our center and our work, visit us at IDEAData.org