Schools today are more data rich than ever, requiring staff members to develop their data literacy--that is, their knowledge of how to use assessment data with other types of data to identify areas of effectiveness and to target instructional improvement efforts. Administrators and teachers are expected to use combinations of data (diagnostic and…

Organizing the work of instructional improvement around a process that has specific, manageable steps helps educators build confidence and skill in using data. A process that includes eight distinct steps can take school leaders to use their assessment data effectively, and organized these steps into three phases: Prepare, Inquire, and Act. The…

School systems can be data rich and information poor if they do not understand and manage their data effectively. The task for school leaders is to put existing data into a format that lends itself to answering questions and improving outcomes for the students. Common barriers to transforming data into knowledge in education settings often include…