NYKids Deep Dive
NYKids Deep Dive
Podcast Description
Hello and welcome to the NY Kids Deep Dive podcast where we engage in our principles to Inform, Inspire, and Improve New York State Schools through conversation with educators, leaders, researchers, and advocates for high-quality education from across the state. We invite you to join us in an exploration of practices, policies, and research so you can be part of making the changes you want to see in our educational system.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast emphasizes topics such as rural education challenges, innovative educational policies, and effective teaching practices, with episodes featuring discussions about improvements to rural school environments and insights from education reform advocates.
Hello and welcome to the NY Kids Deep Dive podcast where we engage in our principles to Inform, Inspire, and Improve New York State Schools through conversation with educators, leaders, researchers, and advocates for high-quality education from across the state. We invite you to join us in an exploration of practices, policies, and research so you can be part of making the changes you want to see in our educational system.
In this episode, we explore the NYKids Performance Tracker, a powerful tool designed to help educators and policymakers make sense of complex school performance data. But what makes this tracker more than just a dashboard? How can it actually drive better decisions in education?
To help us unpack these questions, we’re joined by:
Doug Fulton
Managing Partner at WISERTrade, Doug brings a unique blend of economics, software development, and entrepreneurial grit. With academic roots at Harvard, LSE, and UMass Amherst, Doug has helped shape data platforms like WISERTrade and now contributes to NYKids with a focus on usability and insight. (Also, he’s still holding out hope for a spot in the NBA’s “no-longer-can-jump” league!)
Suzanne Smith
Director of Research and Evaluation at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, Suzanne has spent her career using data to advance economic justice and racial equity. From analyzing affirmative admissions to tracking homelessness data, her work is all about turning numbers into meaningful change. She’s also a proud Smith College and UMass Amherst alum.
What We Talked About:
What exactly is the NYKids Performance Tracker?
Doug and Suzanne’s roles in its development and evolution
The art (and science) of creating user-friendly data displays
How to foster data-informed decision-making in the age of AI
Key Takeaways:
The tracker acts as a matchmaker between schools, helping identify peers and learn from each other.
Spotting “funky data” is crucial—sometimes anomalies are insights, other times they’re errors.
Denominator issues matter: who’s included in the data (and who isn’t) can dramatically shift interpretations.
In a world of generative AI, critical thinking and context are more important than ever when using data to shape policy.
Whether you’re an educator, policymaker, or data enthusiast, this episode offers practical insights into how data can be a tool for equity and improvement—not just accountability.
Listen now and join the conversation on how we can use data to build better schools and brighter futures.
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.