Data-Informed Decision-Making 

The Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education partnered with the Academy for Educational Development to conduct a comparative study of existing reviews and audits of practices and conditions at schools and school districts. Despite reviews and audits becoming vital tools in school improvement efforts, little is known about the purposes, processes implantation, and lessons learned from their development and implementation. This report was an effort to gill that gap. The study focused on seven organizations that have a reputation for conducing effective reviews or audits. Six key findings emerged from the research. They centered on the following topics: naming, collaborative vs. consultative approaches, level of focus, areas of focus and capacity building, presentation and audit results, and learning over time.

This guide from the Data Quality Campaign provides a guide for educators and lawmakers on using longitudinal data. The first section provides an overview on the power of longitudinal data. The differences between longitudinal and snapshot data are explained. The second section of the guide covers the application of snapshot and longitudinal data. Policy questions that arise when using both types of data are answered. The final section of the guide provides six action steps for school leaders to use when building and using longitudinal data systems. Additional resources are also provided.

A principal at Boynton Montessori School in Michigan believes that using data, talking about data and developing instructional strategies based on data are essential strategies in operating a school. This article focuses on how this principal uses data to begin conversation with her faculty, identify the strengths and weaknesses of students, makes operational changes at her school, judges progress toward instructional goals and identify areas that where the school needs extra help. The principal’s leadership has motivated teachers to embrace the usage of data in their daily work and that work is paying off in student achievement results.

This article profiles New Mexico's work to give schools easier access to better data, provide experts to assist in querying the data and to increase data literacy among education leaders. New Mexico’s data-literacy program transformed raw data collected from state assessments into queries that leaders could use to create policies and shape instruction. Districts have commissioned short-cycle assessments to gain more immediate feedback on student progress and are now tracking students longitudinally. Soon, superintendents and principals will have access to a data warehouse that will hold information on budget, student achievement and staffing.

This report one of six state-of-the-field reports, details how educational leaders access data, the meaning they assign to it, and how the use data to improve teaching and learning. The report recognizes that data does not provide leaders a clear direction for action; rather that data used in educational settings is complex and indefinite.