Data-Driven Decisionmaking
Education news, analysis, and opinion about how educators use data to identify and address areas of opportunity
Teacher Preparation
Opinion
What We Know About Teaching Teachers
Dr. Alison Hilsabeck, dean of the National College of Education at National Louis University, answers the question, "What do we know about teaching teachers?"
Assessment
Opinion
Measuring What Counts
NAESP Executive Director Gail Connelly reminds us that while using data to inform decisions is important, not everything that matters can be reduced to a number.
School & District Management
Opinion
HR and ROI (Return on Investment)
Return on investment, or ROI, has been a focus of businesses for decades, but rarely talked about in education. It *SHOULD* be in every HR professional or talent manager's lexicon.
School & District Management
Opinion
In Education, Don't Sacrifice the Longview in the Heat of the Now
While politics is about what happens "rightnow," education policy should be about what happens in well into the future. NASBE's Steve Berlin talks about the role of state boards of education in ensuring a long-term view in policy decisions.
School & District Management
Opinion
Using Evidence for Change
NASBE Executive Director Jim Kohlmoos argues that it is time for education to transform itself into an evidence-based field much like we see in medicine, energy, agriculture...and baseball.
School & District Management
Opinion
What My 7th Grade Science Teacher Taught Me About Talent Management
I had a fantastic middle school science teacher, Mrs. McLean, who retired last year after nearly 30 years in the classroom. (Such a shame for the district, but well deserved!) She was not afraid to go outside the box and get messy to enhance the learning experience for her students. She blew things up during class experiments and dropped objects off the school roof to make her lessons more engaging. She took us on field trips and supported her students in extracurricular activities. She also gave students compliments in class and pulled them aside to offer encouragement if she thought they could do better.
School & District Management
Opinion
Load of Bollocks
The Daily News reports that Cambridge Education Associates is getting a 9% pay raise, even as NYC schools face budget cuts. The average cost of reviewing a school will jump to $4,856, up from $4,427. NYC taxpayers are dishing out 1.1 million for their travel expenses - looks like you and I are paying for our cross-pond friends to fly business class and eat warm chocolate chip cookies. Meanwhile, 8th graders who face retention have lost out on tutoring opportunities. Awesome!
School & District Management
Opinion
Guest Blogger Scott McLeod on Data-Driven Decision Making
Scott McLeod, a professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Iowa State, blogs at Dangerously Irrelevant. Many thanks to Scott for this guest post!
School & District Management
Opinion
D3M: The Bad and the Ugly
Thank you, Scott, for providing insight into how schools are using data to improve learning, not just test scores. Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed less cheerful data-driven decision making. Some schools are using benchmark tests and other newly available data to play the system and up their numbers. Let me mention a few of these bad and the ugly uses of data.
School & District Management
Opinion
This week: D3M and Teacher Effects Leftovers
I hate leftovers, too. But there is a lot left to say about last week's theme of data-driven decision making, so I'll tie up loose ends this week. Forthcoming posts include: How are data currently being used in schools, and who's entered the business of providing data solutions? What are some of the technical challenges with value-added models of teacher effectiveness? And what are their potential unintended consequences?
