I’m both a social science researcher, programmer, and practitioner of data services. I’m a competent data scientist, because I’m skeptical of data. I know what can and cannot be said.

Researcher Skills/Principles: 

  • A true researcher seeks the truth, not the result
  • Economic Researcher Background: Statistics, predictive analytics, machine learning, and data reporting
  • Design scientific/casual studies and create proxy variables if data is not availale
  • Program Evaluation
  • Design Reports for respective audience
  • Reports should be proactive and promote actionable results

Programmer Skills/ Principles:

  • Technical Language Competency: R, Matlab, Stata, Python, T-SQL, GIS
  • Values: efficiency, scalability, storage, execution, automation, and quality assurance
  • Strong working back-end knowledge with Student Information System (SIS)
  • Writing complex algorithms/functions for data transformations and reporting
  • Streamline the databases for easy access and query execution

Community Data Projects

  • Saint Paul Open Source Data Initiative: a Github repository containing datasets, raw codes (Python Jupiter , and reports pertaining to Saint Paul/ Frogtown area. The focus is toward creating interactive graphs to gets community members engaged
    • Frogtown Traffic Stop Report: Using traffic stop data, community members get better insight on how stops are made and is there discrimination and what is the magnitude? [View Report]
    • Frogtown Crime Data Report: Using Saint Paul Crime Data and Google API Geo-coder to create a geo-coordinate proxy algorithm. I create interactive crime maps that display hotspots in the community and the number of discharge in the local neighborhood
    • Saint Paul Vacant Building Report:  Interactive Map displaying the Vacant buildings in Saint Paul and the local neighborhood,

Work-related Projects at South Washington County Schools

  • Vision Card: Primary aggregate accountability tool that utilize the growth measures and test scores primarily based on Minnesota Department Education (MDE) standards and show inequity gaps.
    • Changed from static to dynamic document; follow the same cohorts
    • Expanded comprehensive metrics w/ expansion to high schools
    • Expanded demographics that include transfer students, former ESL students
    • Introduced achievement gaps changes
    • Create interactive report that is accessed electronically and updated daily
    • User-friendly (fit in one page) and customization for respective school
  • Benchment Assessment System (BAS) capture system/reporting: BAS was the primary early literary assessment and diagnostic tool administered preK to third grade
    • Created/ administered/ Programmed all reporting
    • Numerous conditional formatting to respective student/ audience
    • Added Growth Measures and expected growth measures
    • Customized reports for diverse audience (teachers, reading specialists etc.)
  • Growth Trajectory Map: An individualized display of current and past growth projections for individual map
    • Answer the question: How many years of “high growth” is necessary for a student to be proficient?
    • Customized SQL report that displays that shows student
    • Compares actual results respect to past projections in one chart
  • D-F-I Report (Early Prevention Report): this reports displays students’ grade information for those falling behind in real-time and a sub-report displaying class assignments and grades. This report changed the school culture as this is a proactive screening tool.
    • The report was designed to assist  secondary schools and was implemented in guerilla fashion. Normally, the action would go through a committee; however there is typically conflicting priorities between staff and administration. For admins, additional accountability means more responsibility, while for staff it requires staff to be more diligent which also increases their responsibility. Furthermore, staff are fairly resistant to change as innovation is excessive in education. Instead, I built the report first then gave it to student advocate personnel to reach out to the secondary schools. The slogan was, “we have the tool, but do we have the will?”
    • The report was implemented for two out of three secondary schools at the district. I provided training to counselors, principals, and other administrative staff. Counselors used the report every week during weekly meetings.
    • This was a custom report using back-end tables. The “Grade” datatable was massive; so the dataload, extraction, and execution was optimized for front-end usage.
    • Customized report and scope based on respective administrator roles