| Data Based Decision Making (PDF) |  |
| An article describing three states' data-based decision-making initiatives funded by the Wallace Foundation's State Action for Education Leadership Project II. |  |
| Data Can Drive Development (PDF) | |
| An article about the importance of teacher professional development in the areas of data management, data analysis, and discussing data and evidence. | |
| Data Protection: Make A Wise Decision (PDF) | |
| An article explaining the basics of why, what, how, and when to back up school data. | |
| Data Quality Campaign | |
| A national effort to encourage and support state policymakers to improve the collection of data and improve data systems. | |
| Data Systems: They're Not Just About Students Anymore | |
| A growing body of research highlights the classroom teacher as one of the most important predictors of student success. While research and policy conversations increasingly focus on the vital relationship between teacher and student, most of our current data systems are unable to inform these discussions. Only 18 states report the ability to connect their teacher data with student data in any grade, and even fewer actually use the resulting information to inform policy and practice. | |
| Data Tools For School Improvement (Document Missing) | |
| A diagnostic testing process that automatically records what each student already knows or needs to master to meet all district and state learning standards by the end of the year would not only suggest lessons to assist the students with their learning needs as a whole, but it would also indicate which students need additional, individualized support. These strategies will help schools select an appropriate and effective data system. | |
| Data Use Drives School And District Improvement (PDF) | |
| This brief highlights how to coordinate different types of data to improve performance; how teachers, schools, districts, and states use data | |
| Data Use: Data Primer | |
| The Data Primer is an instructional website designed to help educators become more comfortable with thinking about and using data for the purposes of instructional decision making. It has an overview and four modules. Each of the modules contain a tutorial, practice and extension section. The path of inquiry followed in each "Tutorial" section is applicable to all types of educational data. It works for all types and levels of testing and assessment. It can be used for analyzing attendance information, surveys of attitudes and perceptions, and programs. The questions apply equally well when analyzing data at the district, school, grade, classroom, or student level. | |
| Data-Driven Decision Making: Vision To Know And Do (PDF) | |
| As part of CoSN's Essential Leadership Skills Series, this 2-page resource encourages small district technology leaders to ensure that data is used effectively to inform instruction, which includes providing professional development to teachers to maximize effective data use. This resource highlights two examples of small districts that have been successful with data-driven decision making. | |
| Dear Public: Can We Talk? | |
| This article identifies some key worries that many people are experiencing about public education. The authors then discuss "authentic engagement" - substantive give and take between those who have a vested interest in the decisions being made. Authentic engagement is an alternative to traditional approaches used for engagment in public education, which the authors believe is an expert-driven process. This article provides an approach to authentic engagement, as well as examples. | |
| Delving Into Data | |
| States and districts are beginning to build digital data systems that can drive decisions in the classroom and the boardroom. | |