Moving beyond data collection: Fostering community engagement in community music schools

Abstract

Mission-driven nonprofit organizations sometimes struggle within a cycle of disempowerment resulting from oversaturation of data collection that is reactive to funder demands. In this article, we problematize Community Music School (CMS) data-collection and analysis efforts and discuss alternate approaches to learning about family and community desires and building community engagement. We first review literature on CMS goals, CMS engagement with communities, and the importance of student voice in educational research. Then, we briefly describe secondary analysis of a data subset from a previous study as context for critical discussion. Finally, drawing on literature from communications, urban planning, and school-family engagement, we make broader suggestions for how CMS can transform data collection practices into pathways for community engagement. We assert data quality and usefulness may improve when institutions seek input from community members who have not elected to participate and when CMS involve stakeholders in program design, goal setting, and measurement schemes from the outset. To that end, we describe three frameworks that could help CMS improve community engagement and make suggestions for future research.