Chapter 1 presents a summary of literature on the need for more data-driven planning and decision making in schools and districts. The chapter begins with an explanation of how changes in Federal legislation have created a heightened need for data-driven decision-making and have led to increased use of data in education. The second part of Chapter 1 draws on research literature and explains the role of Data Management Systems (DMS) in supporting data-driven decision making (DDM) and positive outcomes for instruction and learning. The last part of Chapter 1 identifies school-level challenges that compromise educators' ability to utilize data. Chapter 2 provides information about the Red Clay Consolidated School District. The chapter begins with a description of Red Clay's student population, schools, budget, and organizational structure. The relationship between Red Clay's performance on State and local assessments and the district's School Improvement Plan (SIP) model is presented. Chapter 2 also describes the DMS currently available in Red Clay and provides an overview of the district's 2006 Strategic Plan and professional development strategies. Chapter 3 focuses on the problem addressed in this Executive Position Paper. The chapter begins with evidence that DMS and DDM are underutilized among Red Clay's School Level Administrators (SLAs) and School Level Educators (SLEs). Next, the purpose of this study and the organizational improvement goals are outlined. The chapter concludes with a description of the sample used in this study and an overview of the data collection strategies employed. Chapter 4 presents recommendations for increasing the use of DMS and DDM among SLAs and SLEs. The recommendations presented in this chapter are focused around three main ideas: increasing access to data, promoting greater use of data, and modifying the district's professional development offerings to support greater use of DMS and DDM. Each recommendation presented in this chapter is supported by data collected in this study. The chapter concludes with a plan for implementing these recommendations. Input from Red Clay staff was used to determine the viability of the proposed plan. Chapter 5 provides a framework for evaluating the recommendations proposed in Chapter 4. Short-term indicators of effectiveness will include increased rates of accessing and analyzing data and greater interest in professional development opportunities related to DMS tools and DDM practices. Long-term indicators of effectiveness will include improved instructional leadership among SLAs, improved instructional practices among SLEs, and greater capacity among all Red Clay educators to use DMS and engage in DDM practices.

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?

Pt. 1. Theoretical and practical perspectives -- pt. 2. Building support for data-based decisions -- pt. 3. Data-based applications.

Connect data and instruction to improve practice 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

Education has fought long and hard to gain acceptance as a profession and, since professionals by definition use data to shape the decisions they make, education has little choice but to continue moving in this direction. This 3-part handbook represents a major contribution to the literature of education. It is a unique compendium of the most original work currently available on how, when and why evidence should be used to ground practice. It is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary, research-based, and practice-based resource that all educators can turn to as a guide to data-based decision making. The Handbook of Data-Based Decision Making in Education is a must read for researchers who are just beginning to explore the scientifically based nature of educational practice. It is also appropriate for policy makers and practitioners who are confronted with young people who need to be in classrooms where "best practices" are the norm and not the exception.

This workbook will serve as your guide to incorporating the data-driven decision making process into your organization’s culture and behavior. O’Neal leads you through setting up teams; warehousing, accessing, and examining data; and finally reflecting on your process. Understand what’s happening in your school environment and how you can make better decisions that will keep you on a path to success.