Equity-Oriented Data Use: Identifying and Addressing Food Insecurity at Copper Springs Middle School

Abstract

Using data is foundational to school leadership; however, when “data” are narrowly construed as academic outcomes, important data perceived as tangential to academics can be backgrounded, ignored, or unused. Today’s school leaders must also attend to data around chronic absenteeism, discipline, learning climate, and social, emotional, and physical well-being—all of which factor into students’ ability and readiness to learn. In this case, educators at Copper Springs Middle School move from frustrations with “poor student choices” to a better understanding of student needs and issues related to food insecurity through the collection and analysis of broader data through an equity lens.

Keywords

food insecurity educational data use equity audits GIS mapping community walks

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