Thank you for your interest in the Maryland Connections Summit. Due to social distancing orders from the Governor related to the recent coronavirus outbreak, plans for the Maryland Connections Summits are postponed. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.
We encourage everyone to follow the guidance of the World Health Organization and local public health officials, and look forward to connecting with you at upcoming events.
The Maryland State Department of Education is sponsoring the 2020 Maryland Connections Summit on Thursday, June 4, 2020.
The 2020 Maryland Connections Summit brings together K-12 and postsecondary education professionals from across Maryland to highlight the vital role data plays in education decision making. Participants will hear from local, state, and national leaders on ways to bridge data, research, policy, and practice.
This event provides an opportunity to share implementation experiences, research, campus efforts, and local initiatives that lead to positive student outcomes. The Summit is a place for dialog between stakeholders about evidence- based practices. The Summit provides a forum for Maryland local school systems and higher education institutions to showcase best practices, most current research and local/campus initiatives.
Maryland Connections Summit, 2018
More than 400 educators gather from across the state for the Maryland Connections Summit 2018. They trade tips and techniques to better interpret and analyze data, to strengthen learning.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Anyone who uses education data: for research, for school or institutional improvement, for decision making, and/or for communication.
Themes
These themes are meant to be guidelines for presenters and attendees. They are intended to inform, but not limit, what presenters might share and attendees can expect from sessions at the Summit.
Connecting Data to practice
This theme will highlight effective ways to bridge and connect data use to practice to address knowledge gaps and to integrate best practices in schools and at institutions. Possible topics may include exploring promising models, professional-development initiatives, research partnerships, and equity initiatives.
TAGS: Data in the classroom; equity; diversity; student groups; school improvement; professional development; capacity building; institutional improvement; institutional accountability
Connecting Data with research
Highlight research that creates and uses data to inform practice. Discuss challenges around the construction, methodology, data limitations, tools used, and the decisions made and why.
TAGS: projects and trends, research/practice partnerships, empirical research, methodology, program evaluation
Communicating and engaging with data
Showcase action-oriented communication through data visualizations, graphs, and storytelling. How has your system or institution used data to inform, communicate, and engage? Share your most effective communication strategies and develop new skills.
TAGS: School Report Card, Data dashboards, Infographics, stakeholders, storytelling with data, data to spark conversation; data to inform policy
Emerging technologies and innovative data use
Exploring instructional technologies, what’s next in educational technology, and ways infrastructures can support data use. Building capacity for effective data use. How to make data available so that they can be used effectively for school and institutional improvement best practices, guidance, and training on data privacy, data security, and data governance.
TAGS: privacy and security; student data; interoperability; emerging tech; OER; data gov