While many educators may think that Data-Driven Decision-Making is a new conversation instigated by the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), in fact, it reflects a larger societal trend. In nearly every national and international industrial sector, the world is witnessing the ability of large networks to collect data and, therefore, transform the understanding of how enterprises successfully function.
The NCLB, Title II, Part D legislation calls for increased academic achievement through strategic, effective approaches to the use of technology by schools. Given this directive, it is clear that the data collection processes used by most states in the past, school and district surveys, is not sufficient. The process must include data from teachers and students at the classroom level-in addition to state, district, and school survey data that address policies, practices, and impact.
The goal of this module is to provide critical resources and tools to SETDA members so that they may effectively capture and utilize data in their respective states. Some of the highlights include:
- a collection of over 20 examples of successful data driven decision making schools, districts, and states;
- a collection of tools specifically created to facilitate data collection, warehouse, analysis, and use;
- a bibliography of over 70 articles and books many of which are immediately accessible for your own research; and
- a database of over 225 instruments specifically designed to collect data on educational technology. We will continue to add to these resources as the SETDA membership provides feedback on what they find most useful.
