Harnessing Data for Good
We encounter growing amounts of data every day. A new book helps us develop the data-savvy skills we need to navigate this evolving landscape.
Fact Forward
The Perils of Bad Information and the Promise of a Data-Savvy Society
By Dan Gaylin
Fact Forward guides you through the data pipeline, describing how data are gathered and analyzed and how to differentiate between trustworthy and untrustworthy data. In the process, it provides solutions for greater transparency on the part of data producers, increased data literacy on the part of data communicators and data consumers, and a societal commitment to data education and infrastructure.
Are You Data-Savvy?
Fact Forward is essential reading for…
who want to realize the promise and avoid the pitfalls of our data-drenched society.
who want fresh ideas and perspectives for helping their students become more data literate.
seeking to tell good data from bad and ensure their organizations are using data best practices.
aspiring to make sense of data and advocate for sound data guardrails.
needing to ensure their reporting is representing data accurately and honestly.
looking for a fellow advocate and invigorating ideas for a more data-savvy society.
Endorsements
“Today, we are drowning in data. To be a responsible citizen means knowing what to trust. Dan Gaylin’s Fact Forward is exactly what we all need to do just that.”
Arthur C. Brooks
Harvard Professor, #1 New York Times Best Seller
“At C-SPAN, we believe that trustworthy information is vital to democracy. Dan Gaylin’s Fact Forward shows us how to make data accessible and meaningful to all audiences—not just experts—and to hold data producers and data reporters accountable for their work.”
Sam Feist
CEO of C-SPAN
“As an economist and as a dean, I’ve seen how data literacy separates successful organizations from those that falter. Dan Gaylin’s Fact Forward offers critical insights for leaders navigating today’s complex data landscape, showing how rigorous analysis can be an important dimension of better decisions and outcomes. I highly recommend this book to readers who are serious about evidence-based leadership.”
Kerwin Charles
Indra K. Nooyi Dean and Frederick W. Beinecke Professor of Economics, School of Management, Yale University
“Having led a variety of organizations, including Bank of America, I know that trusted data is the cornerstone of sound decision-making. Dan Gaylin’s Fact Forward provides a cogent argument and an actionable plan for building data literacy in every sector of society–crucial guidance for an age when data can either clarify or confuse.”
Walter Massey
President Emeritus, Morehouse College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Retired Chairman, Bank of America
“To halt the decline in institutional trust, we must move beyond simplistic metrics and rankings to embrace rigorous, transparent approaches to data. Dan Gaylin's Fact Forward offers a compelling vision for how genuine data literacy can restore public confidence and advance evidence-based dialogue across ideological divides.”
Daniel Diermeier
Chancellor, Vanderbilt University
“Dan Gaylin's Fact Forward resonates deeply with USAFacts’ mission of empowering Americans with the facts. It shows how we can build a society where facts aren't just available, but truly empower citizens to make informed decisions. This is exactly the kind of resource we need to help citizens and leaders alike ground their choices in evidence rather than rhetoric.”
Poppy MacDonald
President, USAFacts
“When trust in institutions and in information itself is in decline, "good" data is essential for social progress and individual well-being. Dan Gaylin’s Fact Forward offers an accessible roadmap for building the "data-savvy" skills needed for smart decisions by everyday people and the institutions and organizations that affect their lives.”
Julia Stasch
Immediate Past President, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
“Having led research institutions and educational organizations, I've seen how data can illuminate or obscure critical social realities. Dan Gaylin's Fact Forward shows us how to understand and use data responsibly—not just to advance knowledge but to create better outcomes across society. This is precisely the kind of guidance we need to transform data literacy from an academic skill into an essential life skill for everyone.”
Raynard Kington
Head of School, Philips Academy, President Emeritus, Grinnell College
“As an education leader and policymaker, I’ve seen how good data, properly understood and wisely used, can drive real and lasting change. Dan Gaylin’s Fact Forward shows why data literacy at all levels of society matters and offers a roadmap for how to achieve it.”
Arne Duncan
Former Secretary of Education, Former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Managing Director, ChicagoCRED, Emerson Collective
“Dan Gaylin’s Fact Forward gets to the heart of what’s hard to teach in statistics and data science: how to see data for what it truly implies, not what it appears at face value. That requires thinking ahead a few steps to figure out what actually could be going on under the hood. This book derives from Dan’s decade of experience leading NORC at the University of Chicago, a powerhouse in nonpartisan research.”
Cynthia Rudin
Gilbert, Louis, and Edward Lehrman Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Duke University
Resources
About the Cover Artwork
This data visualization, which is the basis for the book cover of Fact Forward, was created by NORC to illustrate the displacement of people due to Superstorm Sandy. It is one of several NORC explorations of how different methods of visualizing social media data can help track population movements during and after natural disasters. Each arc in the graphic represents an individual Twitter account. The beginning of each arc represents the account holder’s primary location two days before Superstorm Sandy, as measured by the zip codes where most of their tweets originated. The end of each arc represents the account holder’s primary location two days after the storm. Open the full data visualization in a new tab.
