A three part series on Gathering, Analyzing & Interpreting, and Using the Information in your prevention efforts. Each virtual segment will be hosted on Tuesday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm (CST) on September 5th, 12th and 19th. Register for individual sessions or the entire series.

Session I - Gathering Information:

One of the more critical pieces of a needs assessment is data or objective information. This kind of information could be local, regional, state and country-wide, as well as quantitative or qualitative data.

In this session, we will discuss common sources of information and data as well as how to access it. Specific national sources discussed will be Kids Count, NSDUH, YRBS, the Census, and NIBRS. At the state level, we will provide examples of reports, discuss student surveys, and demonstrate good navigation techniques.

Our goal is that attendees will have a better understanding of places they can go to efficiently answer the community’s questions that started the needs assessment process, and to help de-mystify the process of creating one’s own data.

Session II - Analyzing and Interpreting Data:

The main reason to gather information is to make sense of it. However, people like to say, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

In our current climate, believability and clarity are essential when using data. In this session, we will discuss descriptive statistics, averages, time trends, and provide a cheat sheet about what various statistical analyses teach us. Good qualitative data analysis practices will be discussed.

Tips about making objective decisions about your confidence in a data set will be provided, as well as how to decide what a good data set and a bad data set look like. Group analysis practices such as a data walk will be described.

Session III - Using the Information: 

Once you think you know what the data means, it is time to use it. The design of charts, tables, statements, and infographics will be discussed. Citing sources and sample sizes as well as other ethical considerations in using data will be emphasized. Story-telling with data, and blending quantitative and qualitative data will be practiced.

Data dissemination techniques will be discussed, as will capturing and working with answering the additional questions that emerge from well-presented data