Data Analysis and Visualization

Using R, I analyzed ICE arrest and removal data to show how arrests and detainments not only rose dramatically after the Trump inauguration, but that more and more Alabamians were being apprehended on non-criminal charges.

I used R to analyze several years of county-level Zillow home value data, revealing explosive growth in North Alabama. A followup story looked at neighborhood-level and ZIP code data to find some surprising real estate trends in the state.

In addition to this story about a north Alabama town in the spotlight, I compiled a first-of-its kind database of immigration statistics in the state, as well as a separate database of student languages and EL populations by school. To report this package, I used R/RStudio and tidycensus to combine nearly 30 years of enrollment data with immigration statistics from the American Community Survey. I was selected to speak to EWA's data caucus and lead an NAHJ panel on immigration and education coverage.

I experimented with Flourish stories to create an interactive dashboard exploring college costs in Alabama. Read more coverage on housing and fees and on HBCU tuition freezes.

As Alabama kicked off a landmark school choice program, I worked with a team at AL.com to create a first-of-its kind database of private school tuition. Comprehensive private school data is not publicly available, so we had independently verify much of this information by hand. This database has fueled a deep look at the current state of the program, as well as forthcoming coverage of private school accreditation and curricula.

The majority of participants in Alabama's new CHOOSE Act, funded by more than $100 million in taxpayer dollars, are already enrolled in private school. I obtained this data through a records request with the Alabama Department of Revenue and created a Sankey chart to illustrate the flow of students from one type of school environment to another.

Alabama has stood out nationally for its post-COVID gains in reading and math. When NAEP scores released, I quickly analyzed and visualized the data, creating a series of interactives to highlight progress and gaps on a tight daily deadline. See followup coverage looking at what happened and what's next for the state.