Our Unique Role in Storytelling

Maybe it is because I spent a good 30 minutes earlier this week perusing the best children’s books of 2023 while shopping for a gift for my nephew who turns three this month, but I have been giving a lot of thought lately to storytelling. I am excited to read some good books to Gabriel when we visit Minnesota for the holidays. I am also excited to continue to engage with data to help tell the interesting stories of postsecondary education in 2024.

One of the projects I am fortunate to work on is the REACH Collaborative. This initiative focuses on community colleges and their development of pathways, provision of supports, and use of culturally sustaining practices designed for Black, Hispanic and Latino, and Native American adult students. Part of my work with the project is to serve as one of four data coaches that assist the states and institutions in the collaborative. Each state is unique in its data collection and use strategy. Some have a robust set of data on credit and non-credit enrollment and completion. Some are dipping their toes into the non-credit data space. The data coaches tailor their coaching to the needs of each state. And one thing every state and institution has in common is the desire to tell the story of their adult learners of color.

These stories have many goals, including engaging with adult learners interested in furthering their education, sharing promising practices with other states and institutions, securing further funding for the work from philanthropies and/or state budgets, and celebrating the hard work of students, staff, and faculty. As coaches, we assist in data analysis to identify interesting and important stories. We co-develop research questions and plans to gather data to answer them. We listen to the state and institutional partners to help identify the stories that will resonate with the audiences they are trying to reach.

So, I have come to view our coaching role in part as storytellers, but in a unique way. In a sense we are the “ghost writers” of these stories. They are not our stories. We are not the voices that need to be heard in this case. We are the collaborators and partners with a special set of skills that combines inquiry, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, journalism, and understanding of content and context. We can help our colleagues in the field of postsecondary education make connections, informed by data, that reveal insights and assist them in making impactful decisions. It is a fun and rewarding space to be in.

When I snuggle in with Gabriel to read Something, Someday (please do not spoil the surprise – he will not open his birthday package until December 20th) I will be present in that moment, enjoying a lovely story about finding beauty and creating change. And a little piece of my mind will be planning ahead to 2024 and the opportunities in my work – in all our work – to engage our expertise in helping others tell their stories.

Have a wonderful winter break and a joyful start to the new calendar year!

Gina Johnson, PhD

Principal & Cofounder, Data EmpowerED Consulting

With special thanks to my fellow REACH Data Coaches: Allison (Alli) Bell, Resche Hines, and Michael Le. And with acknowledgement that it was Alli and Bruce Vandal who really got me thinking about the importance of storytelling in our work.