The Insight to Impact Dashboards Team went on tour this February, hitting the road for a pair of educational events in support of the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) community.
The first stop was at Sam Houston State’s semi-annual “Data Day,” which featured a dive into the EPP’s data, beginning with breakfast, a keynote speaker, breakout sessions, and data analysis through the Insight to Impact Dashboards. TEA’s Project Manager of Educator Data, Research & Strategy, Tanisha Jones, was invited as a featured guest and roundtable host for the occasion.
The Insight to Impact Dashboard Team has already boasted a track record of providing on-site support to EPPs across the state. TEA’s Senior Project Manager of Educator Data, Research & Strategy, Dr. Paige Tooley, was previously invited as a special speaker at a Sam Houston State event in 2025.
“Paige shared reasons to use the professional dashboards, guidance about requesting individual details, and information about aggregate-level views and data availability,” Sam Houston State University Associate Dean for Academic Assessment & Accountability Dr. Casey Brown said.
When reflecting on both sessions, Dr. Brown noted, “Paige’s session also provided next-step information for newer faculty and staff users and more advanced information for experienced users, while Tanisha led an Insight to Impact Dashboard roundtable, encouraging participants to engage directly with the dashboard’s datasets, examine metrics, and address gaps. Tanisha also emphasized how I2I is more than a static reporting tool, how it functions as a decision-support resource, and helps teams move from discussions to actionable outcomes.”
Citing how tools such as I2I are vital for enabling teams to examine trends, assess approaches, and make decisions together, Dr. Brown hopes to host TEA I2I representatives at future Sam Houston College of Education Data Day events.
The next stop on the tour was the BranchED convening, which brought together educator preparation programs, technical assistance providers, and school systems to discuss data and create supportive partnerships across the field for the first time. Paige and Tanisha, alongside Dr. Jeremy Landa, Principal Director of Educator Certification and Preparation data, co-led a joint presentation about ECOS data reporting, the Insight to Impact, and TalentED dashboards.
“Our EPP welcomed the opportunity to have TEA representatives assist with one of our trainings,” Wiley University’s Assistant Provost for Academic Administration Morgan King said. “It is always beneficial to have the TEA team on hand to clear up any questions and to make training more efficient in general. I think EPPs would find it helpful to include TEA in their on-campus training in the future.”
Any EPP interested in inviting the I2I Dashboards Team to lend support and further insights should reach out to Tanisha.Jones@tea.texas.gov to schedule a visit.