Critical Policy and Practice Questions on Data-Informed Decisionmaking

School

• Are your schools expectations for data use clear?
• Is the principal a data leader in your school?  Do they help staff understand and analyze data appropriately?
• How are leaders measured against those data use expectations or standards?
• Does your school deliver the necessary data for evaluation purposes to the districts in a timely manner?
• How are teachers evaluated on data analysis and their use of data to improve their instruction?
• What types of professional development opportunities are available to use data wisely?
• How is the culture of data use for improvement (not sanctions) encouraged in schools?
• What support structures, tools and assistance can districts provide to schools to ensure they are using data in effective ways to drive instructional decision-making?

District

• Does your district have specific education leadership standards? And do those standards and expectations include a component for data use?
• What are the data analysis skills required of a high-quality school and district leader (principal, superintendent and school board member)? Are those skills embedded in the standards?
• How are district and school leaders measured against those standards? How are they evaluated on the data use component?
• Are there professional development requirements in your district that are aligned to information provided by data that suggests where professional development is needed?
• Does the state get data to districts and schools in a timely way so that educators can make instructional decisions for students?
• Does your district provide training to school teams in effective data analysis and use techniques?
  

State

• Does the state have adequate data systems and warehouses that make reporting to schools and districts seamless and easy to understand?
• Does the state get data to districts and schools in a timely way so that educators can make instructional decisions for students?
• Do the universities in the state adequately prepare school leaders to use data wisely?
• Does your state have specific education leadership standards? And do those standards include a component for data use?
• What are the data analysis skills required of a high-quality school and district leader (principal, superintendent and school board member)? Are those skills embedded in the standards?
• How are leaders measured against those standards? How are they evaluated on the data use component?
• What rewards, incentives and sanctions should be associated with evaluation results?
• Are the standards aligned to certification and professional development requirements?