This blog is written by Dr. Molly Stewart, former Director of INsite who joined Education Analytics earlier this year as a Research Scientist II - Interoperability as part of the Education Analytics/INsite merger.
Six years ago, a dedicated team from the Indiana University School of Education, in collaboration with ten Indiana school districts, created the INsite Consortium, charged with helping Indiana educators access data more quickly, securely, and reliably than was possible at the time. With support from Indiana University's Education Technology Services (ETS), University Information Technology Services (UITS), and the dean's office at the School of Education, INsite successfully implemented the Ed-Fi data standard for these ten districts over 18 months.
There were several key challenges we faced in 2018, when INsite was getting started. Implementing Ed-Fi was an uncertain venture. Processes that today might take a few weeks at that time required more than a year, requiring us to engage in repeated problem-solving, trial and error, and time-intensive adjustments.
By 2020, with an operational Ed-Fi system in place, INsite's focus turned toward our consortium’s sustainability. The pandemic years brought new challenges, and as technology evolved, it became increasingly clear that managing a complex technical operation from a small, university-based office was no longer viable. We watched as Education Analytics (EA) made remarkable strides with Ed-Fi implementations across multiple states. Their commitment to building open-source, sustainable tools and their non-profit business model resonated strongly with me as a consortium leader. Over time, the decision to transition INsite to EA became not just logical, but obvious and necessary. Four years after entering the Ed-Fi space, EA not only supports integrations in multiple states, but also invests time and talent into developing their capacity to provide hands-on implementation support, technical innovation, and robust visualization offerings. We felt confident that our member districts in Indiana would continue to be served well by the teams at EA—or served even better, considering the expanded data analysis and visualization tools EA offers through platforms like Stadium, Podium, and Rally.
As we wrap up our transition to EA, our team from Indiana is eager to embrace professional development opportunities and collaborate on a wider variety of projects and with new partners. This will not only enhance our capabilities but also strengthen our support for INsite districts and the broader implementation of Ed-Fi both locally and across the country.
I am looking forward to leveraging Stadium for custom data pulls and for our teachers to have access to Rally. I also look forward to working with my friends and partners in data, Rosh and Molly.
Catch us in the near future as we relaunch the DatabasED podcast! We will also be at the Ed-Fi Summit in September in San Antonio, where we will present several sessions with colleagues from both INsite and other EA partners. If you're interested in learning more about partnering with EA, please fill out our partnerships form and/or if you would like to connect with Dr. Molly Stewart, please fill out our general contact form!