Data Voices

by julio intriago-izquierdo

Data Voices is a curriculum designed to empower 12th-grade students in East Harlem to analyze, interpret, and communicate data-driven insights about challenges within their community. It can be implemented in two distinct ways: as part of a larger Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) initiative, where students have already participated in data collection, or as a standalone curriculum that introduces curated datasets for analysis. While the integrated version allows students to work with data they collected themselves, the standalone version prioritizes accessibility by providing pre-curated data to reduce cognitive barriers and focus on foundational skills.

Rooted in critical pedagogy, constructionism, and civic storytelling, Data Voices equips students with the tools to uncover patterns in quantitative and qualitative data, develop critical literacy, and articulate their findings through storytelling. By grounding data analysis in their lived realities, students connect abstract trends to concrete experiences and position themselves as active participants in imagining and advocating for change. The curriculum unfolds in three interconnected modules:

• Quantitative Data Analysis: Students identify trends and patterns in datasets (collected by the students or curated by the teacher) using CODAP , a web-based analysis tool. This module provides a foundational understanding of the “big picture,” allowing students to observe measurable phenomena.

• Qualitative Data Analysis: Through interview excerpts and thematic analysis scaffolded through a custom-designed card game, students uncover deeper meanings and themes, bridging numerical insights with lived experiences.

• Story Creation: Students synthesize their findings into a zine that blends data visualization, civic storytelling, and speculative fiction, transforming their analysis into a powerful medium for advocacy.