States and districts are making strides in building and making use of educational data systems, but educators still need models to help them connect what they learn from reviewing student data to improved instructional practices, a federal report says.
Published last week by the office of planning, evaluation, and policy development at the U.S. Department of Education, the report draws lessons for educators from surveys of thousands of administrators and teachers, and site visits to 36 schools in 12 districts.
Among its recommendations, the report calls for making data-driven decisionmaking an ongoing process rather a one-time event; ensuring that teachers get assessment results that are timely and relevant; and providing teachers with time and support so they can make data use a regular part of their practice.
