Data Analysis

What I find so satisfying about data analysis is the combination of logical deduction and thoughtful, context-based inference required to interpret its results. The analysis itself has very clear and well-established procedures, with standard routes to expected outcomes, it also allows for a lot of creative thought. In fact, the best analysts are those with experience across many different types of challenges, whose varied techniques give them perspective and insight into problem solving. 


The complex and frustrating nature of analysis is its own reward for a mind hungry for novelty and challenge. The subject of analysis, furthermore, often provides its own fascinating content. My own personal experience in the fields of public education and retail banking allow for a unique understanding of working with the public. In many ways, the two industries are similar; the services provided are valued very differently, but both involve interfacing with the public, providing excellent customer service, and perhaps surprisingly, sales. 


This experience gives me perspective into the analysis of behavioral and social phenomena, whether in data about rates of electricity usage, or choices people make about where to live, or how the time it takes parents to drop their kids off at school affects their views of the school district overall. 


These questions, and many more, are what drive me to seek actionable answers through data analysis. The patterns exist and are measurable. The datasets are abundant. Insights are there, ready to be extracted and weighed, made meaningful in context, and crafted into compelling narratives for stakeholders. This is the work I find motivating and fulfilling.

Popular posts from this blog

World Bank Case Study

Image
World Bank Case Study: Effects of Education on Economic Outcomes Research Question: Can selected educational indicators be shown to correlate to economic growth? One of the projects I completed for my Google Data Analysis Certification through Coursera is a analysis of a fractional subsection of data available through the World Bank . After viewing several years' worth of data for a wide range of variables, I drew ten measures from the vast lists of indicators available there, from table 2.8: Participation in Education. I selected only data from 2014, a year in which many records were more complete than for other years.  I sought to determine whether any of the variables selected (listed in Table 1 below) explain or show relationship to growth outcomes for selected countries, such as GDP Per Capita. In my analysis, I looked for any correlation in the Government Expenditure, Internet Users per 100, or Enrollment in Upper Secondary variables. With AI becoming a d...
Read more

Texas School District Cell Phone Bans

Image
Early Indicators of Improved Academic Outcomes Research Question: Do recently released TEA ratings for the 2024-25 school year show any improvement for districts who implemented cell phone bans prior to that period? Earlier this summer, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law House Bill 1481 1 , requiring “all school systems to adopt and implement a policy prohibiting the use of personal communication devices by students on school property during the school day,” 2 to take effect on September 1st of this year. This makes Texas the 9th state in the nation to do so 3 ; some 31 others have similar measures under consideration. There has been increasing popular support for such legislation. In Texas districts which implemented such measures prior to this year, initial feedback from stakeholders is overwhelmingly positive. In Houston, for example, district officials cite a 20.9% decline in disciplinary incidents for the 2024-25 school year, which they attribute largely to the ban on stu...
Read more

Background

I am a seventh-generation Texan on my mother's side, once removed. I wasn't born here, but as the saying goes, I got here as fast as I could. A native of Portland, OR, I moved to Fort Worth in 1998 to attend Texas Christian University. I have loved living here, and traveling to other places, with my husband of 23 years, Dustin, and our two children. I worked in retail banking for several years before starting our family. I taught high school math for 13 years and served as a campus administrator for two. By far, though, my most gratifying work has been parenting. I have always loved learning for its own sake, which I have learned is the definition of being a philomath - one of my favorite words. I love working in my garden, cooking with my family, and creating things with my hands, but I am happiest curled up with a book. Some of my recent favorites are The Wager by David Grann, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury .
Read more