By using equity theory through a social justice lens, the authors intend to highlight how data are currently being used to solve the "what" and not the "why" as it relates to achievement gaps for marginalized students in urban settings. School practitioners have been utilizing quantitative data, such as district and state…

For years, schools have tended to approach budgets with some basic assumptions and aspirations and general wish lists but with scant data to drive the budget conversation. Suppose there were a better way? What if the conversation started with a review of the last five to ten years of data on three key mission- and strategy-driven indicators:…

Public reporting makes data about schools and districts--including enrollment, student performance, teacher effectiveness, and more--available to the public. These data never include information that could be used to identify individuals and are critical to meeting the information needs of parents, educators, administrators, policymakers, and…

To meet the constantly changing needs of schools and diverse learners, educators must frequently monitor student learning, revise curricula, and improve instruction. Consequently, it is critical that careful analyses of student performance data are ongoing components of curriculum decision-making processes. The primary purpose of this study is to…

The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act required states to report graduation rates as a condition of high school accountability for receipt and use of federal Title I funds, and to set growth targets that would ensure all students graduate from high school. It also reaffirmed the long-standing national policy that graduation rates be used as the…

This book focuses on the relevance of statistics in the day-to-day lives of principals and teachers. The step-by-step guide to using existing school data can help school leaders make more appropriate and effective decisions. The information is presented with easy-to-follow instructions, illustrations, and pertinent examples. The chapters are: (1)…

Since the first edition of "Schools and Data", the No Child Left Behind Act has swept the country, and data-based decision making is no longer an option for educators. Today's educational climate makes it imperative for all schools to collect data and use statistical analysis to help create clear goals and recognize strategies for…

In October 1984 the Illinois Association of School Boards mailed four-part questionnaires concerning collective bargaining and salaries to superintendents in 940 of the 1,006 school districts in Illinois. This report arranges the data from the 582 responses into tables providing information concerning four broad subjects: the current status of…

This paper reports on a study of the administrative behavior of school principals made through direct observation and a set of unique categories. Study objectives were to describe (1) the sources of principals' problems, (2) the principals' initial reactions to problem stimuli, (3) the patterns of principals' decisionmaking, (4) the premises…

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shares the Governor's concern about the need to prepare students for the 21st century economy. Technology has the power to enhance students' learning, engage them, and ultimately prepare them for the competitive world beyond school. In order to prepare students for their future in this increasingly…

With Circular H.S.1 1972/73, the Ministry of Education directed Ontario's secondary schools to provide an increased range of course offerings and to allow students as much freedom as possible to choose their own courses. To identify the effects of the individualized "credit system" established by this controversial circular, a number of…

This videotape introduces resources provided by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to help educators make good educational policy decisions. The NCES is charged with collecting, maintaining, and reporting statistics about U.S. education, and it makes a variety of resources available to educators and the public to help them use…

As this report shows, the growth in the use of computers and other educational technologies has been substantial and accelerating during the past 15 years. The report summarizes Quality Education Data's 15th annual survey of public school ownership of instructional technology, covering more than 65% of all United States schools and districts--over…