Examination of State-Level School Safety Data Dashboard Characteristics
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| Title: | Examination of State-Level School Safety Data Dashboard Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Ann Marie Cotman (ORCID |
| Source: | Education Policy Analysis Archives. 2024 32(65). |
| Availability: | Colleges of Education at Arizona State University and the University of South Florida. c/o Editor, USF EDU162, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620-5650. Tel: 813-974-3400; Fax: 813-974-3826; Web site: https://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/epaa |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 29 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) (DOJ) |
| Contract Number: | 15PBJA21GG04652STOP |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research Tests/Questionnaires |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | School Safety, Data, Visual Aids, State Agencies, Management Information Systems, Data Use, Student Behavior, Data Interpretation, Online Systems, Public Opinion, Discourse Analysis, User Needs (Information), Design, Computer System Design, Elementary Secondary Education, Discipline Problems, Violence, Public Health, Antisocial Behavior |
| ISSN: | 1068-2341 |
| Abstract: | Choices made on data visualizations guide how users make meaning of the information presented. This research investigates design decisions made on 115 state-level dashboards reporting school safety data. Using pre-determined codes drawn from a framework of visualization rhetoric, dashboard characteristics were described and analyzed. Analysis demonstrates that school safety dashboards vary significantly in types of school safety data included as well as how such data are presented. Most dashboards lack specific interpretative text or narration, meaning the messages and stories communicated by dashboards are influenced largely by choices in data included, how it is visually represented, and the interactivity provided to users. The choices craft divergent stories about school safety for dashboard users--including, but not limited to, those that foreground student behavior as the central threat, those that present school practices as problematic, and those that center community creation--which may shape public discourse around school safety. In concert, rhetorical choices reflect different perspectives on safety, students, and schools. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1452150 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Choices made on data visualizations guide how users make meaning of the information presented. This research investigates design decisions made on 115 state-level dashboards reporting school safety data. Using pre-determined codes drawn from a framework of visualization rhetoric, dashboard characteristics were described and analyzed. Analysis demonstrates that school safety dashboards vary significantly in types of school safety data included as well as how such data are presented. Most dashboards lack specific interpretative text or narration, meaning the messages and stories communicated by dashboards are influenced largely by choices in data included, how it is visually represented, and the interactivity provided to users. The choices craft divergent stories about school safety for dashboard users--including, but not limited to, those that foreground student behavior as the central threat, those that present school practices as problematic, and those that center community creation--which may shape public discourse around school safety. In concert, rhetorical choices reflect different perspectives on safety, students, and schools. |
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| ISSN: | 1068-2341 |
