Data Use and Classroom Instruction: Have We Hit a Wall?

• In Event: 29.090 - Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: 29.090-25 - Data Use and Proficiency Considerations for Diverse School Settings

Abstract

In today’s high-stakes, evidence-driven accountability environment, schools and districts across the country are focused on building capacity to utilize data in improving school outcomes. A central assumption of these efforts is that data will be used by educators to guide instructional practice and promote high-quality instruction in the classroom. While research documents a substantial increase in educators’ access to student performance data, there remains limited evidence that such data are “penetrating” the walls of the classroom. Through in-depth case study of four high schools in a large, urban school district, this study explores the extent to which teachers, administrators and other educators describe integrating performance data into their practice, and the organizational, cultural and political factors mediating that integration.

Authors

• John Wachen, The Learning Partnership

• Christopher Harrison, Florida Southern College

• Lora A. Cohen-Vogel, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill