This book integrates theory and practice in decision-making, with a specific focus on data-driven decision making. Applications are demonstrated in the contexts of administration, supervision, and teaching. The book provides a unique contribution to the literature in this field in that the studies of decision theory and data-based decision making are integrated. Focusing on educators assuming leadership roles in school improvement, the book's content is equally relevant for administrators, supervisors, and teachers. The book, however, is centered on data-driven decision making, both as a requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act and as a normative professional standard. Issues related to accumulating, storing, and protecting data in districts and schools also are covered. Applications in administration, supervision, and teaching are demonstrated.

Tools and techniques from the trailblazers in data-based education reform Over a period of several years, Amanda Datnow and Vicki Park visited public schools with a reputation for being ahead of the pack in data-driven decision making. The results of this pioneering study reveal how education leaders can make data work for students and teachers, rather than against them. This book is an essential guide to meeting the challenges of high-stakes accountability, building performance-based schools, and improving student outcomes. By following the advice in this book, you’ll be able to transform data overload into a data-positive school culture. You’ll learn the difference between “data-driven leadership” and “data-informed leadership,” and how to use distributed leadership to inspire collaboration and guided analysis. Incorporating narrative reflections drawn from real educators and administrators, the authors refine their observations and interviews into practical conclusions that leaders can put to use immediately. This book empowers leaders to support inquiry, build trust in data-based initiatives, establish goals for evidence use, and provide educators with the skills they need to mobilize data for the good of all stakeholders. “Datnow and Park’s ideas are easily accessible and grounded in clear examples, and their seven ‘calls’ about what needs to be done nail the problem and the solutions. Use this book as your action guide and you’ll be rewarded with better results in student learning.” —Michael Fullan, professor emeritus, University of Toronto “Datnow and Park uncover, at last, what it means to use data to inform leadership. Documenting the four P’s (people, policies, practices, and patterns) in schools, we learn about the organization and dynamics of reform informed by data. A must read!” —Ann Lieberman, senior scholar, Stanford University

Brief ContentsPrefacePrologue Concepts and Foundations of Data-Driven Decision Making Introduction to Data-Driven Decision Making Planning and Developing Information Resources Hardware, Software, and People Educational Research Methods and Tools Teachers and Administrators as Researchers Basic Applications Student Data, Demographics, and Enrollments School and the Community Financial Management and Budgeting Supporting Teaching and Learning Supporting Teachers and Their Professional Development Technical Support Review of Statistical Routines Used in this Book Introduction to Spreadsheet Software Introduction to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Database Management Terms and Sample Outline Internet Resources for Data-Driven Decision MakingGlossaryIndex Contents PrefacePrologue Concepts and Foundations of Data-Driven Decision Making Introduction to Data-Driven Decision Making Rationale for Adopting Data-Driven Decision Making Purpose of This Book Defining Data-Driven Decision Making An Old Idea: Knowledge Is Power Need for Planning The Systems Approach Organization of This Book SummaryReferences Planning and Developing Information Resources School Districts Take the Lead Defining Information Needs Database Management Systems Long-Term and Short-Term Data Resources SummaryCase StudyReferences Hardware, Software, and People A Brief Look at Infrastructure Hardware for Effective Data Management and Access Client-Server Architecture Software for Data Analysis Developing People Resources The Data Analyst SummaryCase StudyReferences Educational Research Methods and Tools The Scientific Method and Educational Research Educational Research Methods Ethnographic Research Historical Research Descriptive Research Correlational Research Causal Comparative Research Experimental Research Action Research Data Collection Tools Direct Observation Structured Interviews Document Analysis Surveys Test Instruments SummaryCase StudyReferences Teachers and Administrators as Researchers Learning Communities Action Research in Action Trial Testing a Peer Tutoring Program Multiple Intelligences in a Foreign Language Program Advancing to an Inclusion Program SummaryActivitiesReferences Basic Applications Student Data, Demographics, and Enrollments Student Data Enrollment Projections at the District Level Attendance Zones and Individual Schools Taking a Census Special Student Populations SummaryActivitiesReferences School and the Community Partnering with the Community: Broad-Based Surveys Anatomy of a Survey Who Will Participate in the Survey? What Data Will Be Collected? Data Analysis Is the Sample Representative of the High School Population? Do Students Have Access to the Internet? The Committee's Next Steps SummaryActivitiesReferences Financial Management and Budgeting Basic Terminology School District Budget School Budget The Canton Alternative School Budget Emergency SummaryActivitiesReferences Supporting Teaching and Learning States, Cities, Districts, Schools, Classes, Teachers, Students Improving Teaching and Learning Jefferson Middle School Developing a Plan Information Overload: A Caution SummaryActivitiesReferences Supporting Teachers and Their Professional Development Summative and Formative Evaluation Collecting Personnel Data Kingsland School District Case Study Keeping Track of Professional Development SummaryActivitiesReferences Technical Support Review of Statistical Routines Used in this Book Key Terms Descriptive Statistical Procedures Frequency Distributions Contingency Tables (Crosstabulations) Measures of Central Tendency Measures of Dispersion Measures of Relationship Correlational Coefficient Linear Regression Caution Introduction to Spreadsheet Software Overview and Key Terms Spreadsheet Structure Data Types and Data Manipulation Charts and Graphics Introduction to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Overview The Data Editor Creating a Data Set Defining Variables Transforming Data Options Data Analysis Procedures and the Output Viewer Graphs and Charts Database Management Terms and Sample Outline Internet Resources for Data-Driven Decision MakingGlossaryIndex.

Our fifth book in the International Research on School Leadership series focuses on the use of data in schools and districts as useful information for leadership and decision making. Schools are awash in data and information, from test scores, to grades, to discipline reports, and attendance as just a short list of student information sources, while additional streams of data feed into schools and districts from teachers and parents as well as local, regional and national policy levels. To deal with the data, schools have implemented a variety of data practices, from data rooms, to data days, data walks, and data protocols. However, despite the flood of data, successful school leaders are leveraging an analysis of their school’s data as a means to bring about continuous improvement in an effort to improve instruction for all students. Nevertheless, some drown, some swim, while others find success. Our goal in this book volume is to bring together a set of chapters by authors who examine successful data use as it relates to leadership and school improvement. In particular, the chapters in this volume consider important issues in this domain, including: • How educational leaders use data to inform their practice. • What types of data and data analysis are most useful to successful school leaders. • To what extent are data driven and data informed practices helping school leaders positively change instructional practice? • In what ways does good data collection and analysis feed into successful continuous improvement and holistic systems thinking? • How have school leadership practices changed as more data and data analysis techniques have become available? • What are the major obstacles facing school leaders when using data for decision making and how do they overcome them?

This indispensable practitioner's guide helps to build the capacity of school psychologists, administrators, and teachers to use data in collaborative decision making. It presents an applied, step-by-step approach for creating and running effective data teams within a problem-solving framework. The authors describe innovative ways to improve academic and behavioral outcomes at the individual, class, grade, school, and district levels. Applications of readily available technology tools are highlighted. In a large-size format for easy photocopying, the book includes learning activities and helpful reproducible forms. The companion website provides downloadable copies of the reproducible forms as well as Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, and an online-only chapter on characteristics of effective teams. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by Sandra M. Chafouleas.

In a context where schools are held more and more accountable for the education they provide, data-based decision making has become increasingly important. This book brings together scholars from several countries to examine data-based decision making. Data-based decision making in this book refers to making decisions based on a broad range of evidence, such as scores on students’ assessments, classroom observations etc. This book supports policy-makers, people working with schools, researchers and school leaders and teachers in the use of data, by bringing together the current research conducted on data use across multiple countries into a single volume. Some of these studies are ‘best practice’ studies, where effective data use has led to improvements in student learning. Others provide insight into challenges in both policy and practice environments. Each of them draws on research and literature in the field.

"Gathering data and using it to inform instruction is a requirement for many schools, yet educators are not necessarily formally trained in how to do it. This book helps bridge the gap between classroom practice and the principles of educational psychology. Teachers will find cutting-edge advances in research and theory on human learning and teaching in an easily understood and transferable format. The text's integrated model shows teachers, school leaders, and district administrators how to establish a data culture and transform quantitative and qualitative data into actionable knowledge based on: assessment; statistics; instructional and differentiated psychology; classroom management."--Publisher's description.