ECLDS Newsletter: MN featured in ECDataWorks | National presentations | Share your stories

Minnesota ECLDS Highlighted in
 ECDataWorks video

ECDataWorks sat down with project leaders and advisors from across the US including Minnesota's ECLDS to talk about their experiences during the pandemic. They discussed challenges, lessons learned and how they plan to continue to build capacity, commitment, and resiliency throughout the pandemic. Jen Verbrugge, ECLDS Lead, highlighted some of the important work being done around food insecurity and the planning being done to address future issues. Check out the video below.

ECDataWorks was created to help states accomplish their early childhood practice and policy goals through innovative use of integrated early childhood data.

The ECDW Community initiative, produced with support from the Heising-Simons Foundation, is a series of podcasts and blogs designed to help states and organizations navigate common challenges and adopt strong, resilient approaches to early childhood data use. Guests representing federal, state, and national nonprofit organizations will discuss the history and evolution of ECID systems in the U.S., share professional experiences, and provide targeted, real-world advice for those navigating one of the most challenging periods in American history.

SLEDS and ECLDS Showcased at
National Presentations

COVID-19 has presented unprecedented challenges for data collection, quality, and use while simultaneously offering opportunities to demonstrate the critical value of statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) to inform policy, programmatic, and instructional decisions. Over the past two years, Minnesota presented at national SLDS virtual workshops related to how state longitudinal data systems used data in stopping the spread, sharing information about essential services, and understanding the effects of the pandemic.

October 2021 SLDS COVID-19 Virtual Workshop // State Spotlight: Minnesota – Post-Secondary 

Staff from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education presented at a two-day workshop for state agencies on how Minnesota used their data systems to meet challenges posed by COVID-19.

July 2020 COVID-19 and SLDSs: Impacts and Opportunities // State Spotlight: Minnesota – Early Childhood

This virtual workshop discusses how states are responding to COVID-19 data collection, quality, reporting, and analyses challenges. Minnesota’s presentation highlighted the use of its ECLDS’s Comprehensive Services Map to highlight local supports and services, and to help in the scoring rubric of emergency child care grant applications.

Upcoming Presentation on Sustainability

Each year, federal the SLDS State Support team facilitates the SLDS Best Practices Conference to provide opportunities for SLDS professionals from across the country to share challenges and successes related to their work on education data systems. The conference will be held on November 9-10 this year, and Minnesota was chosen to pre-record a session about sustainability for ECLDS and SLEDS. If the session recording is released for public viewing, we’ll include the link in a future newsletter.

Session description: Minnesota now fully funds its P-20W data system that not only keeps the lights on, and is primed for growth and expansion. Drawing on collaborative staffing, active engagement of subject matter experts, and leadership collateral across state agencies, the legislature, and communities was required. The road to budget security was and is not without its bumps. Minnesota staff discussed how the state founds its footing, the challenges faced, and what the state hopes to do in the future.

Share Your Stories

ECLDS is looking for stories about how you have used its reports and resources. We're looking to gather examples of how ECLDS is supporting or simplifying your work, helping you provide better services, and strengthening your understanding of student trends. 

Send an email to eclds.support@state.mn.us with examples, photos, and even video if you have it. Help us tell the story!