Using Data for Instructional Improvements: Conditions and Contexts That Matter

• In Event: The Varied Uses of Assessment Data for Instructional Improvement: Contexts and Trends

Abstract

Despite the press to use data to inform instruction, research on teacher instructional practice suggests little change. This paper uses qualitative comparative analysis to identify the conditions and contexts that may matter for data use. Drawing on data from an exploratory, mixed-methods study of five secondary schools in the United States, we find that the type of data, and the presence of a capacity building intervention, may be consequential for when and how they are used as part of instructional decision making.

Authors

• Caitlin Farrell, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Julie A. Marsh, University of Southern California