When the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) began a multi-year collaboration with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), they worked together to modernize a critical public health information source: the Oregon Student Health Survey. This survey, disseminated annually across Oregon, was designed to track health trends and inform policy decisions affecting thousands of young people and families.
But there was a problem. Year after year, this survey illuminated inequities, showing, for example, that students of color experienced higher rates of bullying or mental health challenges, without providing any insight into why these inequities existed, how they were experienced or what communities wanted done about them. The data revealed gaps but offered no pathways to close them.
Working alongside other culturally specific organizations within their coalition and researchers of color in their region, CCC set out to demonstrate what better data could look like for the Oregon Student Health Survey. They worked with high school teachers who had deep relationships with students and met with students to understand what kinds of questions mattered most to them.
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