Putting data at the center

of School improvement
But, why?
 Data

• Is a set of discrete and objective facts about event

• On its own, data does not make much sense
 Information

• Data becomes meaningful chunks of information

once we have organized and categorized the data,
and corrected and condensed it
• data becomes information by adding value through
categorization, calculation, correction and
condensation
• Converting data into information requires knowledge
(Drucker)
4
 The need of information

• Information that managers and knowledge workers

need for their work
• More important for their own work than for the
enterprise

5
 The need of information

• No one can provide the information that knowledge

workers need, except knowledge workers themselves
• However… few of mangers have made much an
effort to decide what they need, and even less, how
to organize it

6
• They have tended to rely on the producers of data –
IT people and accountants – to provide this
information for them
• But the producers of data cannot possibly know
what data the users need so that such data can
become information

7
 So,

• Only individual knowledge workers can convert data

into information and to decide how to organize their
information so that it becomes their key to effective
action

8
 To produce information, start with
these two questions:
1. “What information do I need myself ? And from
whom? And in what form? And in what time
frame?”
2. “What information do I owe to the people with
whom I work and on whom I spend? And in what
form? And in what time frame?”

9
 Data Versus Information

• Data are raw facts about physical phenomena or

business transactions
• Information is data that has been converted into
meaningful and useful context for end users
• Examples:
• School data is …
• School information is…

10
 Knowledge Versus Wisdom
• Knowledge is a clear and certain perception of something; the act,
fact, or state of understanding. Knowledge involves both knowing
how, which is generally more tacit knowledge, and knowing about,
which is more explicit knowledge (Webster, 1961;Grant, 1996).

• Wisdom is the user’s ability to make the best and most proper use
of knowledge in establishing the basis for decision making and for
actually making the decision to achieve the desired goals. It involves
exercising wise judgments between right or wrong and good or
bad; considering all pertinent factors and their relationships; and
being consistent with the universal laws (Mohamad Fauzan
Noordin)
 Awash with data

• Education, like many other fields, is awash with data.

• Districts and states or provinces generate huge
amounts of data, and
• many maintain data system that offer a wealth of
potential data
• about schools from test results to dropout statistics,
attendance figures, streaming, teacher credentials,
student demographics, and so on.
 Data is a policy lever

• Accountability and data are at the heart of

contemporary reform efforts worldwide.
• Accountability has become the watchword of
education, with data holding a central place in the
current wave of large-scale reform.
• Policy makers are demanding that schools focus on
achieving high standards for all students, and they are
requiring evidence of progress from schools that is
conceived of explicitly in a language of data (Fullan)
However …
 However …

• Educators’ skepticism about data – many school

leaders find themselves caught in a “data dilemma”.
• They mistrust data, they fear data, and many do not
have the skills to use data wisely and effectively
 Mistrust of data

• Educators have great confidence in the tacit

knowledge that they bring to their work (i.e., personal
knowledge embedded in individual experience that
involves intangible factors such as personal beliefs,
perspectives, and value systems)
 Fear of data and evaluation

• Educators have used data in the form of test scores,

marks, and grades as the justification for evaluative
judgments about students.
• Evaluation is pervasive in schools, but educators are
the evaluators rather than the evaluated.
 Fear of data and evaluation

• Schools have operated on a performance orientation

where success is defined in terms of recognition and
high scores, and errors are unacceptable.
• Mistakes are to be avoided, and admission of a
mistake is regarded as a weakness.
• Data, in this context are punitive or rewarding but
not particularly helpful.
 Lack of training

• For many educators, data are synonymous with

statistics.
• Teachers and administrators need not, indeed should
not, be expected to be experts in statistics, rather,
they need targeted training that:
 Lack of training (continue)

1. Places the emphasis on applications and real-world data

rather than mathematical theory
2. Uses methods that allow practitioners to focus on
discovery
3. Encourages a shift from calculation to interpretation
4. Make it easier to avoid the implication that statistical
analysis is strictly a matter of finding the “one” right
answer
 Lack of training (continue)

5. Provides a dynamic process for experimenting and

learning from actual data
6. Uses data to uncover patterns and to generate hypotheses
7. Endorses the need to use better graphical displays and
verbal statements for communication
Needing to know
 Needing to know

• Data are not “out there”. They are, and should be, an
important part of an ongoing process of analysis,
insights, new learning, and changes in practice in all
schools and districts.
• Data provide tools for the investigation necessary to
plan appropriate and improvement strategies.
• Synthesizing and organizing data in different ways
stimulates reflection and conjecture about the nature
of the problem under consideration.
 Thinking differently about data

• Once the schools have the necessary data, educators

will be in a position to diagnose areas of strength and
areas in need of improvement.
• They will then adjust structures and practices in ways
that will impact positively
• Thus, the capacity requirement is that educators
(should) know how to use data in order to make the
necessary consequent decisions
• For ‘real’ change or ‘conceptual’ change?
 A data literate leader:
• Thinks about purpose(s)- different data for different
purpose
• Recognizes sound and unsound data-to ascertain the
quality of the data
• Is knowledgeable about statistical and measurement
concepts
• Recognizes other kinds of data
• Makes interpretation paramount
• Pays attention to reporting and to audience
 Innovation produces Technology
OR
Technology produces Innovations?
What do you believe?
Wright Brothers
1898-1908
• ‘A pair of self-taught
engineers working in a
bicycle shop, they made
the world a forever
smaller place’ - BILL
GATES
• unlocking the secrets of
control to conquer "the
flying problem"
The basic problem is not technology but
mentality - Drucker
 Accountability

• The conversation about what the information means

and how it fits with everything else that we know and
about how to use it to make positive change – Earl &
LeMahieu (1997)
The role of data
Discussion in group
What is the role of Data
 Discover Issues

• Reveal issues and problem that may otherwise remain

hidden.
• Ascertain the needs of students, educators, parents,
and other community members.
• Ensure that no students fall through the cracks.
• Identify grade-level and schoolwide strengths and
weaknesses.
 Diagnose Situations

• Understand the root causes problems.

• Comprehend why some students are not performing
well.
• Determine eligibility for special programs.
• Target specific areas for improvement.
• Provide criteria for focusing on high priority goals.
 Forecast Future Conditions

• Predict the needs of future students, educators,

parents, and community members.
• Suggest possible local, regional, state, or national
trends that will affect the school and the programs
offered.
• Surmise types of programs required.
• Infer types of expertise needed.
 Improve Policy and Practice

• Reform teaching and learning.

• Enhance instruction and assessment.
• Guide curriculum development, revision, and
alignment.
• Build a culture of inquiry and continuous
improvement.
• Guide the allocation of resources.
• Avoid quick fixes and one-size-fits-all solutions.
 Evaluate Effectiveness

• Understand and describe high-quality performance.

• Provide feedback to students, teachers, and
administrators about their performance.
• Measure program effectiveness.
• Identify practices that produce desired results.
• Convince stakeholders of the need for change.
• Highlight successes.
 Promote Accountability

• Monitor and document progress towards achieving goals.

• Inform internal and external stakeholders of progress.
• Confirm or discredit assumptions about students and
school practices.
• Develop meaningful responses to criticism.
• Meet state and federal reporting requirements.
• Ensure that all personnel are focused on student learning.
Lorna M. Earl & Steven Katz (2006)
Group Activity
Activity 1