Data Walks: An Innovative Way to Share Data with Communities

Sharing research results often includes intimidating graphics and jargon, so community members and practitioners may have difficulty accessing the information they need to plan their programs. This Urban Institute report details the Data Walk tool, which researchers can use to help community members review and interpret data, and strategize how to implement the results in their communities. In a Data Walk, community members walk through a series of stations where they can view data and discuss it in small groups with the help of a facilitator. The authors detail how to design, plan, and facilitate a Data Walk, and they also include examples of programs that have successfully used Data Walks to share research results.