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| Midwest Conference on School Data | |
|---|---|
| Name | Midwest Conference on School Data |
| Formation | 2010 |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Region served | Midwestern United States |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Midwest Conference on School Data is a regional convening focused on data use in K–12 institutions, districts, and state agencies concentrated in the Midwestern United States. The conference brings together administrators, analysts, technology providers, researchers, and policy makers to share practices, tools, and research on data systems, assessment, accountability, and student supports. It serves as a nexus for collaboration among public agencies, nonprofit organizations, university research centers, and private sector vendors working on data-driven decision making in schooling.
The conference convenes representatives from states such as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Nebraska alongside partners from federal programs administered by United States Department of Education, national nonprofits like Council of Great City Schools, National School Boards Association, and research institutes such as American Institutes for Research, RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, and university centers at University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, Indiana University Bloomington, and University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Vendor and product participation frequently includes firms with ties to EdTech marketplaces and procurement frameworks used by districts, such as firms similarly engaged with ISTE-aligned standards and Common Core State Standards Initiative assessments. Attendees exchange case studies, data governance frameworks, interoperability strategies, and technical demonstrations.
The Midwest Conference on School Data emerged in 2010 from convenings hosted by state education agencies and university research centers in the wake of large federal grants and initiatives tied to assessment consortia like the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. Early iterations featured collaborations with organizations including Data Quality Campaign, Education Week, Learning Forward, and statewide associations such as Illinois State Board of Education and Ohio Department of Education policy teams. Over time the conference incorporated sessions led by researchers from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education, and Teachers College, Columbia University addressing analytics, measurement, and equity. Notable speakers and contributors over the years have included staff from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, analysts affiliated with Center on Education Policy, and evaluators from Mathematica Policy Research.
The conference is typically organized by a steering committee comprising representatives from state education agencies, regional service centers such as Education Commission of the States, advocacy groups like National PTA, university partners, and regional education laboratories such as the Midwest Comprehensive Center network. Governance models align with nonprofit boards similar to those of organizations like American Association of School Administrators and utilize subcommittees for program, finance, and sponsorship. Fiscal sponsorship and grant support have come from foundations and agencies comparable to Carnegie Corporation of New York, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and state education foundations. Partnerships with procurement consortia mirror collaborations involving organizations such as Purchasing Cooperative entities and statewide consortia in Minnesota Department of Education and Iowa Department of Education.
Annual conferences include keynote addresses, hands-on workshops, poster sessions, vendor exhibits, and convenings for task forces on topics like data privacy, assessment reporting, and educator dashboards. Keynotes have been modeled after addresses given at national gatherings such as ASCD conferences, SXSW EDU, and ISTE Conference & Expo and have featured practitioners from large districts like Chicago Public Schools, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Detroit Public Schools Community District, and Minneapolis Public Schools. Concurrent events include hackathons, regional policy briefings, and cohort seminars supported by research partners such as SRI International, WestEd, and REL Midwest.
Initiatives often include professional development series influenced by frameworks from National Council on Teacher Quality, toolkits informed by Data Quality Campaign recommendations, and pilot projects aligned with assessment consortia and state longitudinal data systems like those developed under Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Program (SLDS). Projects address interoperability standards referenced by IMS Global Learning Consortium and Common Education Data Standards and incorporate privacy guidance consonant with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act compliance. Special initiatives center on equity-focused analytics, early warning indicator systems, multi-tiered systems of support drawn from RTI-aligned practices, and educator data literacy.
Membership draws district superintendents, state chiefs of staff, assessment directors, data managers, technology officers, researchers, and nonprofit leaders from entities like Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Center on Reinventing Public Education, Public Impact, and Education Reform. Participation includes delegates from teacher unions such as National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers, as well as private sector vendors that have commercial interactions with districts and charter networks like KIPP Foundation and Teach For America alumni initiatives. Sponsorship tiers typically parallel models used by national associations including National School Boards Association and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
The conference reports outcomes in the form of shared toolkits, cross-district data-sharing agreements, practitioner research collaborations, and adoption of interoperable systems in districts comparable to those piloted in Pittsburgh Public Schools and St. Louis Public Schools. Evaluations and case studies have been disseminated through channels like Education Week, policy briefs by Brookings Institution, and working papers from university partners. Long-term impacts include strengthened data governance, increased technical capacity for measurement and reporting, and expanded networks connecting local education agencies with national research bodies and philanthropic funders.
Category:Educational conferences Category:Midwestern United States