This paper contends that powerful techniques to manipulate data, enabled by technological and economic developments, can be easily co-opted to serve the restrictive frameworks of hyper-controlling, managerial accountability that characterise current cultures of summative assessment in education. In response to these challenges, research is…

This inquiry-based activity designed for the fifth through 12th grade allows students to engage in an outdoor, place-based experience, working collaboratively both in groups and as a class to accomplish the class goal of creating a local tree map linked to student-collected data about each tree. During Local Tree Mapping, students explore the…

Social return on investment (SROI) analysis offers a practical new approach for measuring and communicating the value of outcomes achieved by programs that provide social, health, and educational services to children and their families. This guide highlights the key steps in conducting SROI research, issues in data-gathering and analysis, as well…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of how human resource development (HRD) can align more closely with the healthcare system's strategic priorities from the perspective of chief financial officers (CFOs). Five common themes emerged: (a) training is well aligned to the strategic priority to optimize clinical…

This paper is an examination of a teacher professional development program in northeast Louisiana, that provided 30 teachers and their students with the technology, skills, and content knowledge to collect data and explore weather trends. Data were collected from both continuous monitoring weather stations and simple school-based weather stations…

Professional societies collect a wealth of data on underrepresented scholars in specific disciplines that can be used to understand minority experiences throughout different stages of academia.

High School graduation rates are key indicators of accountability for high schools and school districts in Oregon. Beginning with the 2008-09 school year, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) implemented the cohort method of calculating graduation rates. The cohort method identifies the year the student entered high school for the first time…

The U.S. Department of Education required each state to submit a reopening plan outlining how they were using and planned on using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) conducted an analysis of 37 state plans to better understand if and how schools were collecting student…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in the United States in March 2020, districts across the nation have faced the difficult task of reopening schools safely and keeping them open. It is useful to learn from the successes of districts that have used multilayered mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of in-school transmission. This brief…

This engaging text takes an evenhanded approach to major theoretical paradigms in evaluation and builds a bridge from them to evaluation practice. Featuring helpful checklists, procedural steps, provocative questions that invite readers to explore their own theoretical assumptions, and practical exercises, the book provides concrete guidance for…

Schools and school districts are data-rich environments, with heaps of data on student demographics, achievement, outcomes, and perceptions. With so much data available, it can be easy to get caught up in the sheer enormity of the data sets. A cohesive data analysis and decision-making process can help schools, districts, and additional…

Schools and school districts are data-rich environments, with heaps of data on student demographics, achievement, outcomes, and perceptions. With so much data available, it can be easy to get caught up in the sheer enormity of the data sets. A cohesive data analysis and decision-making process can help schools, districts, and additional…

Many college counseling centers do not collect client data at each session because of perceived burdens. This study explored 55 clients' and 16 doctoral counselor trainees' experiences collecting and using data on client distress at each session over the course of counseling at a large public university's counseling center. Results indicated that…

The collection and analysis of weather data is crucial to the location of alternate energy systems like solar and wind. This article presents a design challenge that gives students a chance to design a weather station to collect data in advance of a large wind turbine installation. Data analysis is a crucial part of any science or engineering…

The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of concerns by type (self, task, and impact) of preservice physical education teachers participating in an early field experience. Participants (n = 52) taught three physical education lessons in a junior high school. Following each teaching episode, participants wrote concerns in their…