With funding from the Carnegie Corporation, in the spring of 2002, EDC's Center for Children and Technology began a two-year exploratory study that examined how educators and administrators within the New York City public school system are using data?made available to them through the print and web-based reporting system of the Grow Network to inform decisions about teaching and learning and about educational practices. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the study unfolded in three phases. Phase One focused on understanding the ways in which central office personnel, along with district superintendents and their education teams, thought about using data to inform decision-making. Phase Two emphasized ethnographic research in 15 schools across four school districts in New York City that represented various neighborhoods, student populations, and overall performance levels. Phase Three involved the development and administration of two separate surveys across the New York City public school system that asked teachers and administrators about how they interpret data and conceptualize the use of the Grow Reports for instructional planning.