By the Numbers: Using Disaggregated Data to Inform Policies, Practices and Decision-Making.

The second in a series of reports that address the challenges of the “Race for Results” report, this report examines the importance of using disaggregated data on race and ethnicity to inform practice and policy. It shares findings from two case studies that highlight how organizations can push for greater utilization and access to this critical information. The W. Haywood Burns Institute and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity are offered as examples of organizations that both advocate for and are innovators in the use of disaggregated data. Both the Burns and Kirwan Institutes’ use of county and neighborhood data to unearth trends and disparities are described to demonstrate why advocates should demand more and better-quality data collection, especially data on subsets of racial groups that may show striking differences in well-being. The report concludes with a discussion on the following lessons learned: push public agencies to collect more and better data on race and ethnicity, take advantage of existing resources and technology, target the right data, use disaggregated data to spur results and action, and include impacted communities in the data analysis for clearer interpretation.