Building a Common Language for Impact
with Classroom Champions
Overview
Classroom Champions connects world-class athlete mentors with K–8 classrooms to help students build social-emotional skills, confidence, and
goal-setting habits.
Their vision for the next phase of the organization is rooted in understanding how programs connect, contribute to impact, and achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes. To support that vision, Classroom Champions partnered with Back of the Napkin to design a logic model as a first step toward their data strategy.
Along the way, we learned that teams were using different definitions, data sources, and calculations, so the same question could yield different answers.
Together, we shifted the focus to strengthening data operations, aligning on shared definitions, calculations, and storage.
This foundation created the clarity and consistency needed to build a sustainable evaluation strategy.
Project Objectives
Design a data operations playbook to:
Engage a cross-functional team to explore the history of data definitions and how they’ve been used.
Clarify how each metric should be defined and applied
Develop a “how-to guide” that makes sense for current and future staff.
Document where and how key metrics are generated.
Build buy-in and commitment to the process, creating embedded champions to support implementation at scale.
The Solution
We began by taking stock of what already existed: surveys, dashboards, and data sources, to understand how information was being collected and used.
From there, we worked alongside staff to make sense of what the numbers meant, where definitions differed, and how each team’s perspective shaped the story behind the data.
Rather than rushing to build new systems, we focused on creating shared understanding.
ogether, we refined the organization’s logic model, clarified how outcomes connected to program content, intent, and influence, and mapped how data flowed across departments.
These conversations led to a clear, practical playbook that outlines how data is collected, stored, and calculated, when and how it should be used, and includes sample meeting agendas and visual tools to support sense-making.
The Result
Classroom Champions now has the tools and shared understanding to turn data into a daily practice.
A refined, audience-specific logic model that clearly connects activities to outcomes.
Agreed-upon definitions for key metrics, creating a strong foundation for consistent reporting and evaluation.
Practical recommendations for surveys, qualitative feedback, and ongoing data governance.
Together, these shifts help the organization track what matters most, strengthen program quality over time, and build a lasting culture of data-driven learning.
“ Dana is the ‘Marie Kondo’ of data.”
- -Diana L. , Classroom Champions Systems Administrator
Ready to clarify your program impact
and align your team?
Book a free consultation to see how our hands-on approach breaks down barriers, reveals hidden strengths, and creates genuine collaboration across departments.