Making Research Methods Instruction Relevant for Prospective Principals

In this chapter, the authors describe the specific research skills to be developed for prospective principals in preparation for effective data use for school improvement. Relevant background information is provided regarding effective data use leadership, definition of data literacy, standards for principal preparation in data use, research on teaching research methods, and a comparison of the research process and the data-informed decision-making (DIDM) process. These skills are organized and reported in the chapter by steps in the DIDM research process. These steps include goal setting/problem formation, using previous research, planning for data collection, obtaining or collecting data, analyzing data (transforming data into information), and interpreting/taking action/making decisions.

Towards Partnerships for Student Success

This case study project demonstrated the power of teachers partnering with one another in a collaborative manner in an effort to increase student reading readiness. These collaborative partnerships created a new way of thinking about analyzing student reading data. One of the important outcomes was the creation of a common formative assessment system that was used throughout the school. A second outcome was the significant increase in student reading scores. A third outcome was the significant improvement in school culture during the implementation of this change project. All outcomes exemplified how schools can embrace change and make positive strides towards increasing student success and successfully strengthen collaborative cultures and learning partnerships through data use.

Assessment Literacy Within Middle School-Level Math Professional Learning Communities

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have been implemented in school districts as a means to promote effective instructional policy initiatives and best practices. The purpose of this chapter is to identify assessment literacy commonalities within middle school-level math PLCs and to compare those commonalities across PLCs with different levels of student math growth. Multiple indicators of assessment literacy were used to supply rich descriptions of assessment literacy within each PLC using a procedure recommended by Bernhardt for effective data-driven decision making. Based upon the findings the researcher concluded that commonalities existed among PLCs with different levels of student math growth.

Leadership to Support and Sustain Data Use in Data Teams

This chapter focuses on how school leaders can support the use of data in data teams with the data team intervention, a step-by-step systematic approach to school improvement. First, the data team professional development intervention is described and an example of a data team in action is provided. Next, the authors closely examine the role of the school leader in supporting the use of data in data teams. Several leadership behaviors that are important to support data teams are described: developing a vision, norms, and goals for data use; providing individualized support; providing intellectual stimulation; creating a climate for data use; and, networking to connect different parts of the organization. Concrete examples are provided with regard to how these behaviors are demonstrated in data teams. The chapter ends with a checklist and reflection tool, which school leaders can use to reflect on their own leadership behaviors with regard to supporting data use in data teams.

Change Management in K-12 Education for Data-Driven Decisions

Recent research in the business sector situates data use within a change management paradigm to maximize the potential for impact. Education leaders recognize the need to develop educator habits of mind and to address the people, policies, practices, and patterns of educational reform; yet, many grapple with making data-driven decision making (DDDM) a reality. This chapter includes: (1) descriptions of school data use mental models within Senge's and Argyris' organizational learning and change management theories; (2) it describe how building a shared vision and developing personal mastery, systems thinking, and team learning can change mental models and assist in moving to a culture of DDDM; and (3) it includes an explanation of the Prosci change management model to implement and sustain DDDM change.

Data Dissemination Practices of Elementary School Principals

A review of literature about data dissemination by elementary school principals and data-driven decision-making (DDDM) revealed some principals used accountability data for student achievement, but many did not. Many principals relied more upon their own intuitive experiences instead of systematic data use. This qualitative study focused upon five high-performing elementary school principals from a southern Louisiana school district that had neither prescribed DDDM practices nor data dissemination protocols designed to support principals. Goals of this study were to examine principals' data dissemination processes, what influenced practices, and if principals did have ideal dissemination processes. The study revealed that each of the principals did utilize a data dissemination process, although not formal processes. Certain factors influenced DDDM and subsequent dissemination by principals.

Behind the Scenes of Data-Driven Leadership

This chapter examines the responsibilities of the school leader, specifically the principal, to effectively apply aspects of data-driven leadership beyond the instructional applications of the classroom and provide applications for data-driven leadership in the crucial leadership functions of staff recruitment and hiring, placement of staff, master scheduling of the institution at both the elementary and secondary level, classroom composition, and finally, the placement of the students in the correct education setting. The intent of this chapter is to provide school leaders with insights into the intentionality required of leadership as applied to often overlooked tasks that are critical to the success of the students, faculty, staff, and overall school community.

School Leaders in a Time of Accountability and Data Use

School leaders are challenged with the task of high stakes testing and student achievement. In the data-driven K-12 setting, it is necessary to have quality school leaders in place. Universities are charged with preparing these quality school leaders. Educational leadership programs need to contain quality structure and key components. These key components required of leadership preparation programs consist of data, leadership style/theories, data culture/climate school leader organizational and management, school community relations, professional development, school/teacher improvement, school improvement plan (SIP), implementation of SIP goals, and field experience. These key components need to encompass the national educational leadership preparation (NELP) standards and the professional standards for educational leaders (PSEL) standards to maintain a successful educational leadership program.

Missing Opportunity?

School board members are elected by their communities to represent the people. Yet studies regarding how board members go about making decisions for their communities are limited. Drawing on policy implementation and sensemaking theories, this study followed a midwestern, rural school board for one year to explore how school board members considered or used data in their decision making. Research questions were: What resources do board members use in making decisions? In particular, how do board members understand the idea of evidence and/or data? Finally, how and when do they use different kinds of evidence and/or data in deciding what is best for students? Findings indicate that the board in this rural district rarely examined data, evidence, or research about students or student achievement. Instead, they sought out and depended upon local experts. They also worked within a system that did not explicitly design opportunities for their sensemaking about student achievement or data. Implications are discussed regarding possibilities for implementing data use by school boards.

Empowering Educators to Make Data-Informed Decisions

With increased accountability in education, resources are being invested to ensure educators have access to a computerized data system. Data access is one component of data-informed decision making. This chapter shares one district's journey toward developing and implementing the data-informed decision-making ecosystem as a guide for empowering one school district's educators to use data, no matter the source, for making informed decisions. Not only might leaders benefit from the implementation lessons learned, but they may also benefit from the implementation tools, such as the teacher data use survey (TDUS) and the school district's innovations configurations map (IC Map) for collaborative inquiry, which supported the work.