How to Improve Agency Data Visualization Strategies

Josue (Josh) DeLaRosa

Director, Annual Reports and Information Staff

National Center for Education Statistics

2022 FCSM Research and Policy Conference 

October 27, 2022
This presentation is intended to promote ideas. The views 

expressed are part of ongoing research and do not necessarily 

reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Education.
Data Visualization as a Key Communication Tool

• NCES has an established history developing data 

visualizations

• Our stakeholders' expectations1 have increased:

– “NCES can improve the accessibility and usability 

of its products, tools, website, and other 

dissemination platforms to allow a broader range of 

audiences to benefit from its products.”

• Development of a strategic approach to enhance 

communications efforts

U.S. Government, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education, Digest of 

Educational Statistics, 1963 Edition, OE - 10024-63. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from 

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED544106.pdf

1 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. A Vision and Roadmap 

for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved October 

22, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.17226/26392.
Sample Data Visualizations

https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/skillsmap/ https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/trendgenerator/
Data Visualization Resources

National Forum on Education Statistics. (2016). Forum Guide to Data 

Visualization: A Resource for Education Agencies. (NFES 2017-016). U.S. 

Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education 

Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/
Steps Towards Improving Data Visualization Strategies
National Institute of Statistical Sciences Recommendations: Strategy

1. Identifying the target audience at the start of each project is a top priority.

2. A more strategic approach is needed for the communication efforts between NCES and their contractors.

3. Two products are needed for NCES staff and contractors: 

1. A branded style guide, particularly for charts, graphs, and tables.

2. Templates for standard packages that can be reused by agency staff and contractors. 

4. Choice of static or interactive format for each visualization depends on the particular use of the graphic and the 

audience. While interactive graphics often get high-profile attention, they also can interact badly with some 

platforms and can be expensive to create. 

National Institute of Statistical Sciences. 2021. Innovative Graphics for NCES Online Reports. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Available: Retrieved October 22, 2022, 

from https://www.niss.org/research/innovative-graphics-nces-online-reports
National Institute of Statistical Sciences Recommendations: Implementation

5. Each visualization should be coupled with easy access to a data file, spreadsheet or 

other easily accessible format that contains both the visualized measurements and 

their associated uncertainties displayed. 

6. By the final phase of implementation of the project, most visualizations produced by 

contractors should be designed so that NCES can assure long-term maintenance of 

the code and the capability to add new features without returning to the contractor 

for minor revisions

National Institute of Statistical Sciences. 2021. Innovative Graphics for NCES Online Reports. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Available: Retrieved October 22, 2022, 

from https://www.niss.org/research/innovative-graphics-nces-online-reports
Implementation Issues and Responses

• Response 1: User experience testing of data visualizations

• Response 2: Identification and tracking of risks, assumptions, 

issues, and dependencies

• Response 3: Staff training and support

• Issue 1: Diverse group of users. IES users fall into 15 distinct 

segments

– Educators

– State education leader

– Parents

• Issue 2: Development of data visualizations involves multiple 

areas

– Subject matter experts

– IT

– Vendors

• Issue 3: Additional resources required to produce additional 

products
Data Visualization Handbook
Practical Guidance Supported by Research

• Color scheme supports chart’s statement

• Colors ordered by luminance

• Distances between consecutive colors above practical JND threshold

• Preserves natural ordering of the categories

Revised Visualization with Diverge Color Pallet Single Hue Pallet
Communicating Uncertainty
NCES Next Steps

• Building internal capacity

• Coordinating across stakeholders

• Human centered design

• Enterprise support for generalizable task

• Tailored data visualizations by audience and dissemination mode
Thank you.

Josue.delarosa@ed.gov