# Seeing Off Cohort 15: Humility, Perseverance, and Partnership *SDP Fellowship Program Manager Sarah Blake reflects on the impact of the Fall 2023-Summer 2025 cohort of the SDP Data Fellowship.* September 08, 2025 - [ Blog ](/news-categories/blog) ![Cohort 15](/sites/g/files/omnuum4446/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2025-09/Screenshot%202025-09-08%20at%202.08.19%20PM.png?itok=nLoXMkt1) Over the past two years of this fellowship cohort, we’ve been on a journey together: learning new systems, building new relationships, and discovering the ways data—and the humans behind it—can transform education. As a classroom teacher, I was once asked by my principal to help with a new initiative from our district, which involved too many of my own hours learning how to sort and filter a dashboard for our nearly 1,000 student school to help provide teachers with end-of-year assessment data. It was frustrating to be asked to do this task with no clear goal, to look at information that was nearly six months old, and for the district to replace the initiative with something new a few months later. For me, I needed a thought partner—someone who could help me make sense of the data, connect it to a bigger purpose, and show me that all those hours might actually make a difference for my students. I needed a bridge between top-down directives and the everyday realities in my classroom. Each of our Cohort 15 took it upon themselves to be that bridge. They met early childhood educators and their families at a crucial time in an early learner’s journey. They helped state legislators and policymakers understand the need for improving access to funding and resources. They supported quality before- and after-school programming, ensuring students have enriching and positive experiences. The range of impact across this cohort speaks to a common theme of creativity and care that our fellows brought to their work. In Atlanta Public Schools (APS), Jennifer Owens asked a powerful question: “What if every voice in our community could be heard, understood, and acted upon?” APS values input from students, families, and staff, but Jennifer recognized these voices too often sat in silos—collected, but not fully leveraged for change. Jennifer used new tools and artificial intelligence to weave thousands of community comments into themes, surfacing perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked. The results didn’t just shape the superintendent’s 100-day plan—they built a new foundation of trust, showing community members their voices truly mattered, and paving the way for a more equitable, responsive district. John Ezaki took on a different challenge at Tulsa Public Schools: how do you build a culture of rigorous data analysis, not just in one leader or one report, but throughout an entire team? John built a toolkit that demystified advanced analytics for his colleagues, offering protocols, training, and structures for both qualitative and quantitative work. Under his guidance, the team’s analyses didn’t just sit on shelves—they informed and sometimes redirected millions of dollars in contracts and directly drove district policy. Just as important, John’s approach empowered emerging analysts, distributed expertise, and made inquiry a shared, sustainable practice across the department. Jess Hathaway at the New Mexico Legislative Education Study Committee confronted the question: “How can we know if our investments truly improve students’ lives—not just on paper, but in their real futures?” With $40 million in new funding flowing to Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs statewide, Jess saw an opportunity to move beyond routine measures like test scores and attendance. She built statewide datasets and paired them with the voices of superintendents and school leaders, revealing that while CTE programs brought promising results, the most vital signs of long-term success were missing from the data or scattered across systems. Her work didn’t just uncover gaps—it pointed the way to a smarter and more adaptive, community-driven approach to measuring what matters for New Mexico’s students. In Fairfax County Public Schools, Trent Middleton looked at the crucial transition to Algebra 1 and asked: “How can we make sure access to advanced math isn’t reserved for a select few?” For years, data on math placement was scattered, leaving students—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—less likely to be identified and supported early. Trent worked closely with stakeholders to consolidate sources, automate data integration, and create an interactive dashboard that made student readiness and equity gaps visible, actionable, and real for schools. Early feedback showed the dashboard wasn’t just another tool; it was changing the conversation—helping leaders target interventions, question old assumptions, and spotlight students who might otherwise get left behind. SDP Fellows face a multitude of barriers and challenges head-on. They navigate leadership and policy changes, all while transforming “can’t be done” barriers into solved problems. Of course, none of this work comes without challenges. Fellows routinely spend time with messy data, work with limited resources, and can face skepticism. But when new methods feel daunting, fellow take action to build scaffolded support for their teams. When uptake is slow, they go the extra mile to meet people where they are—sometimes literally, with site visits and office hours. When technology can’t capture nuance, they insist on human insight alongside automation. At Accelerate, SDP Fellow Jason Godfrey walked through this as he led a high-visibility and high-stakes project that didn't have the expected impact, stating “though this isn't unusual in the data world, it's tough to be the one responsible for turning difficult findings into meaningful lessons learned.” Time and again, SDP Fellows choose the hard but necessary path—centering equity, prioritizing sustainability, and building trust through transparency and follow-through. And in doing so, they can not only shift policies, but start cultural shifts in their organizations. They can inspire conversations that didn’t happen before, and make room for new leaders to emerge and carry the work forward. Reflecting on Cohort 15 reminds us that this work is about far more than data. It’s about people—students, families, educators, our colleagues, and our communities. The technical skills fellows apply to their work are powerful, but it’s the humility, the perseverance, and the partnership they bring—across disparate systems, across divisions, and in the quiet moments of doubt or trial—that stand out most. SDP Fellows demonstrate this work across every level of a student’s educational experience, from our earliest learners to higher education. See also:- [ Fellow Spotlight ](/tags/fellow-spotlight) - [ SDP Blog ](/tags/sdp-blog) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)