Gathering evidence is separate from analyzing evidence. Teams making sense of information must also pause to construct equity-centered insights.

Interviews and other evidence-gathering methods will generate learning on their own, but it is crucial that teams pause to reflect upon and analyze the information they gather. Equitable decision making in later stages of the work requires that teams take an equity pause and generate credible insights from what they heard or observed.

CORE TOOLS

<aside> 🛠️ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FDj9tRX25I3_QDezZLsB_jqB-8OKmJSZc6DAKxAInH4/edit?usp=sharing

</aside>

There are many rich approaches to analyzing interviews. The “Plan and analyze interviews” tool from the Interviews section above offers a simple T-chart:

When using a T-chart like this, it’s fine to record insights and then back those up with quotes from interviews and other evidence, or group quotes together and then summarize them with an insight. Insights your team generates should connect to what you actually heard from stakeholders.

AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS

The CityBridge team has supported teams analyzing evidence for years and can recommend these additional tactics on how to facilitate this step:

• Many teams have a tendency to discuss the data rather than analyze it and document that analysis. Team members could either work solo to synthesize the data they collected or with a partner who is taking notes.
• If team members are too deep in the weeds coming up with insights, they start with inputting data/evidence/quotes and come back to insights
• Teams should generate insights rather than simple observations. Prompts:
  • Why is something happening? Does it reframe something familiar? So what? Does it help people understand why it matters? Does it capture a tension or a shift that needs to happen?
  • Is the insight actionable? Does it inspire action, change, or transformation?
• Consolidate quotes and evidence that support the same insight in the same row. Prompt: “These quotes seem like they are getting at the same insight. Let’s group them together.”
• After teams finish synthesizing the evidence, they should reflect on the evidence that they collected. Prompts: “Is there an aspect of the role of educators that the data isn’t getting at, are there other people that we need to talk to in order to get a more complete picture of the problem?”
• If a team does not have a lot of evidence, consider moving back to the planning stage to identify who they should talk to next, or what other data they should gather.

Learning standards: TTP2, TTP3