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    Flex Your School's Data Muscles

    Leadership strategies strengthen data's impact

    By Learning Forward
    August 2013
    A colleague tells a story about her experience as a teacher in a university lab classroom. She talks about the day when a visiting team of university professors came to observe her small group of 2nd graders engage with her in a mathematics lesson on fractions using manipulatives. The professors arrived and watched the lesson from an observation room, where an opaque screen allowed them to observe unseen while hearing both the lesson and the students. My colleague was overjoyed. The kids were so engaged and working intensely with the manipulatives to complete the activities. At the end of the lesson, she thanked them for their effort and hard work. As the groups began to put away their materials, she noticed one student go over to

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    Authors

    Jennifer Unger

    Jennifer Unger (jenniferlunger@msn.com) is director of The GroupWorks in Grafton, Mass., a senior consultant for TERC’s Using Data, and a consultant for the Council of Chief State School Officers.

    Leadership For a High-Performing Data Culture

    Element Less emphasis on: More emphasis on:
    1 Data use Using data to punish or reward schools and sort students.

    Infrequent use by the school community to inform action.

    Using data as feedback for continuous improvement and to serve students.

    Frequent and in-depth use by entire school community.

    2 Collaboration Teacher isolation.

    Top-down, data-driven decision making.

    No time or structure for collaboration.

    Shared norms and values.

    Ongoing data-driven dialogue and collaborative inquiry.

    Time and structure for collaboration.

    3 Equity Belief that only the “brightest” can achieve at high levels.

    Talk about race and class is taboo.

    Culturally destructive or color-blind responses to diversity.

    Belief that all children are capable of high levels of achievement.

    Ongoing dialogue about race, class, and privilege.

    Culturally proficient responses to diversity.

    4 Research and best practice Decision making based on instinct and intuition.

    Continuing past practices that yield little or no results.

    Using findings from research and best practice in conjunction with previous experiences to inform instructional decisions.

    Making changes in classroom practices and monitoring results and impact.

    Source: Adapted from Love, N., Stiles, K., Mundry, S., & DiRanna, K. (2008). The data coach’s guide to improving learning for all students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Used with permission.

    References

    Armstrong, J. & Anthes, K. (2001, November). How data can help: Putting information to work to raise student achievement. American School Board Journal, 188(11), 38-41.

     

    Garmston, B. & Wellman, B. (1998, April). Teacher talk that makes a difference. Educational Leadership, 55(7), 30-34.

     

    Kruse, S., Louis, K.S., & Bryk, A. (1994, Spring). Building professional community in schools. Issues in Restructuring Schools, (6), 3-6.

     

    Leana, C. (2011, Fall). The missing link in school reform. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 9(4), 30-35.

     

    Lieberman, A. & Miller, L. (Eds.) (2008). Teachers in professional communities: Improving teaching and learning. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

     

    Linton, C. (2010). (School Improvement Network, Producer). Equity 101. Available at www.schoolimprovement.com/resources/schoolcast/equity-leadership.

     

    Love, N., Stiles, K., Mundry, S., & DiRanna, K. (2008). The data coach’s guide to improving learning for all students: Unleashing the power of collaborative inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

     

    Mather, M.A. (2012, March 15). Using Data Tip #9: Disaggregating data makes the invisible visible. Available at https://usingdata.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/using-data-tip-9-disaggregating-data-makes-the-invisible-visible.

     

    Miller, M. (2009). Achieving a wealth of riches: Delivering on the promise of data to transform teaching and learning (Policy Brief). Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.

     

    Nunnaley, D. (2013). Professional development to build data literacy: The view from a professional development provider. Journal of Educational Research & Policy Studies, 13(2), 39-49.

     

    Singleton, G. & Linton, C. (2006). Courageous conversations about race. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

     

    Wellman, B. & Lipton, L. (2003). Data-driven dialogue: A facilitator’s guide to collaborative inquiry. Sherman, CT: MiraVia.

     

    White, S.H. & McIntosh, J. (2007, Spring). Data delivers a wake-up call. JSD, 28(2), 30-35.


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