CHICAGO, MAY 19, 2023 — The Strategic Data Project at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University announced two honorable mentions and one winner of the 2023 Strategic Data Excellence Award at their annual spring Convening in Chicago. 

The Strategic Data Project (SDP) created this award in 2021 to recognize that while strong data work is critical to successful strategy, innovation, and improvement, this work is too often taken for granted and goes uncelebrated. In May 2021, the award was first launched to honor actions taken to address the urgency of the moment with fast and accessible insights. This year, the award sought submissions from domestic public K12 and/or postsecondary systems and institutions, highlighting a practitioner-led project meeting the following criteria: 

• Demonstrating the use of high-quality data to resolve or make progress toward addressing a pressing need in education.      
• Addressing a problem that is widespread (across or within the K12 and/or postsecondary fields), with a clear change to address.  
• Early or clear measurable, quality evidence of success and impact on an audience, such as students or teachers.   
• The use of data is an inspirational model for others, and might use innovative models, make data more transparent and/or accessible to nontechnical audiences, or meet another need.    
• The project concluded within the last year or is in progress with measurable impact. 

SDP provided honorable mention to the California Department of Education for their data project which brought a new understanding of and access to data about homeless youth to guide resource allocation and Rio Salado College for their work using data to optimize student retention. The award winner was Elk Grove Unified School District for their project which developed and refined a systematic approach for evaluating district-wide programs to inform spending decisions. Representatives from the honorable mention projects and winning project were present at SDP Convening to be honored and serve on a panel sharing additional details of the scope and impact of their projects with SDP Convening attendees, which include current and former SDP Fellows, SDP Fellowship supervisors, and additional guests.  

This summer, SDP will publish video and written content to share the stories of these three projects more broadly. 

Contact: Alison Guerriero at sdprecruitment@gse.harvard.edu  

Learn more: sdp.cepr.harvard.edu/award

About the Strategic Data Project  
Harvard's Strategic Data Project (SDP) works with education agencies to find and train data leaders to uncover trends, measure solutions, and effectively communicate evidence to stakeholders. SDP’s network of system leaders, fellows, and faculty come together to share how to best use data to make a difference in the lives of students. SDP Fellows are driving data-informed change in over 240 school systems and organizations. Learn more at sdp.harvard.edu.  

About the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University  
The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, seeks to transform education through quality research and evidence. CEPR and its partners believe all students will learn and thrive when education leaders make decisions using facts and findings, rather than untested assumptions. Learn more at cepr.harvard.edu.