Study of Data-Driven Decision Making
The Study of Data-Driven Decision Making is being carried out by SRI International under contract with the U.S. Department of Education under the National Technology Activities task order. The study will document the availability of systems and supports for using data to improve instruction, and the prevalence and nature of data-informed decision making in districts and schools. It will examine the challenges that educators face in trying to use data systems in their efforts to improve instruction and the practices employed by districts and schools that have used data to inform their decisions and have obtained successful outcomes for their students. Data for the study will include case studies of 30 schools conducted during the 2006-07 school year and a nationally representative survey of 500 districts conducted in spring 2007. [study brochure]
In 2007-2008, analysis activities will focus on the case study data. The school-level and teacher-level data will be reported in an interim report to answer the following evaluation questions:
- To what extent do teachers use data systems in planning and implementing instruction?
- How are school staff using data systems?
- How does school staffs' use of data systems influence instruction?
For a copy of the interim report see publication below.
In 2008, analysis activities focused on data from the district survey. Click here to see study survey. These analyses, along with prior analyses of data collected at the state, district, and teacher levels, will be combined in a final report. The final report will focus on the following additional evaluation questions:
- What kinds of systems are available to support district and school data-driven decision making (prevalence of systems access, student information and functions of these data systems)?
- Within these systems, how prevalent are tools for generating and acting on data?
- How prevalent are state and district supports for school use of data systems to inform students?
For a copy of our 2009 AREA presentation on the district's role in data informed decisionmaking, click here.
For a copy of our 2009 AERA presentation on professional develoment needs for data literacy, click here.
10/2005 - 9/2010 (current)
Funders & Clients
Publications
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Means, B., Padilla, C., DeBarger, A., & Bakia, M. (2009). Implementing Data-Informed Decision Making in Schools--Teacher Access, Supports and Use. Report prepared for U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development. Prepared by SRI International, Menlo Park, CA.
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