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##  Data Inquiry and Analysis for Educational Reform. ERIC Digest.               

Citizens and policymakers alike, as part of the new accountability,             expect schools to justify the value and effectiveness of their                  programs. School boards, in turn, routinely ask to see the data                 administrators use to guide decision-making in schools. Boards are              mindful, too, that allocation of state and federal funds often                  necessitates documented evidence that school programs lead to                   verifiable improvements in student achievement (Holcomb                         1999). 
Apart from public relations and accountability issues,                 educators have come to recognize that they can no longer rely                   on "intuition, tradition or convenience" in making decisions about              the best strategies to improve student learning (NCREL 2000). For               all these reasons, more schools across the country are settling on              the idea that carefully collected and analyzed data represent the               key to improvement in education. 
This Digest outlines the most                useful types of data to drive the process of school improvement, the            steps that must be taken to collect and analyze the data, the role              of administrators in guiding the data-driven reform process, and the            results that can be expected. WHAT ARE THE EDUCATIONAL USES OF                DATA?Statistical data on school programs and student performance            provide educators with their only real evidence of the success or               failure of educational programs. Data "identify the link between                teaching practices and student performance so that high achievement             levels can be obtained" (Miller 2000). 
When systematically                    collected and analyzed, data provide an accurate way of identifying             problem areas in school programs. Data reveal strengths and                     weaknesses in students' knowledge and skills, and they provide                  meaningful guidance on how teaching practices can and should be                 altered. When acknowledged and accepted by a faculty, data can lead             to the formulation and implementation of corrective courses of                  action that can solve problems and meet a school's goals. Once                  improvement strategies are under way, educators can continue to                 analyze the data to monitor and refine their efforts. 
From a wider            perspective, data can "provide an honest portrayal of the district's            and school's climate" (NCREL). Data can give a clear profile of a               district and the schools within it: Who are our students, teachers,             and families? What trends, attitudes, abilities, and values do they             exhibit? What outside factors influence them? WHAT TYPES OF DATA              ARE MOST USEFUL?The profile of a school or an educational                   program can include at least four types of data: 
*  Student                   assessment data include measurements of student performance, such as            standardized test results, grade point averages, and standard and               other formal assessments, both state and federal. 
*  Student                  demographic data describe such things as enrollment, attendance,                grade level, ethnicity, gender, family background, and language                 proficiency. They may include facts on student mobility, modes of               transportation, parent involvement, student behavior, and social                problems. 
*  Perceptions data document how a district or school is            perceived not only by its students, teachers, and parents, but by               the community at large. While this type of data is the most                     subjective-collected by questionnaires, surveys, interviews, and                observations-it can often prove crucial in determining the direction            a school may take in its programs and learning strategies. 
*                  School program data define programs, instructional strategies, and              classroom practices. This type of data is most useful in monitoring,            refining, structuring, and redirecting school programs. In                      collecting these data, "educators must systematically examine their             practice and student achievement, making sure both are aligned with             specifically defined, desired student outcomes" (Bernhardt                      2000). HOW CAN A SCHOOL BEGIN USING DATA?The process of using             data to improve school programs must be supported not just by one or            two administrators, but by as many faculty members as possible. Data            inquiry must grow out of a common recognition of the potential                  benefits statistical data can have in helping to achieve common                 goals. 
Data analysis can be used at various levels within a                   school. Individual teachers can use it to improve teaching                      strategies in their classrooms. Groups of faculty can use data                  analysis to amend areas of concern within a department. Finally, the            entire school can use data analysis to reform and improve the                   educational climate. 
Although variations exist, depending on                  personnel and circumstances, educational reform through data                    analysis involves four steps. 
First, the school staff identifies              areas of concern for which improvement is desired. By gathering and             analyzing existing assessment, demographic, perceptual, and program             data, staff members create a profile of the school. This profile                will reveal a school's strengths and weaknesses, and will allow                 interested faculty members, administrators, parents, and community              members to ask appropriate questions regarding student achievement,             teaching practices and programs, and school culture. Data collected             during profiling can sometimes be used as baseline information                  against which subsequent improvement strategies can be                          measured. 
Second, after the school profile is complete, interested            teachers, administrators, and community participants meet together              as a leadership team to prioritize the areas of concern that the                profile has revealed. This is best achieved before the school year              begins, and before faculty become immersed in the day-to-day                    challenges of teaching. 
Third, once a problem is selected for                 correction, the leadership team collects and analyzes any additional            data that might elucidate and suggest solutions to the problem. The             team then outlines strategies for improvement and defines evaluation            criteria against which the courses of corrective action will be                 measured. 
Finally, after plans of action have been implemented and            completed, the team again collects data to measure the success or               failure of their efforts. The corrective strategies may be                      discontinued or adjusted and reapplied as needed. 
Schools without             experience implementing data analysis methods should start with                 simple problems, then advance to more complex issues only as                    benefits are witnessed and confidence gained. As well, it is                    important that the faculty commit to implementing the leadership                team's recommendations, because without such commitment efforts for             reform might end before benefits are realized. 
For many schools,              the appointment of a school-based facilitator or "data analyst" may             be desirable. The analyst advises the leadership team in its                    collection and analysis of data, and in implementing corrective                 projects. In particular, the analyst helps "schools focus on their              own particular problems, set locally appropriate goals, identify a              course of action, and assess progress toward these goals" (Killion              and Bellamy 2000). 
Selected from the faculty to encourage trust               and confidence among staff for the process, the data analyst must be            trained in data analysis, interpretation, and display processes.                Because analysts are on-site, they can provide teachers and                     principals with timely responses and assistance (Killion and                    Bellamy). HOW CAN ADMINISTRATORS OVERCOME BARRIERS AND HELP THEIR             SCHOOLS USE

DATA EFFECTIVELY?Despite the arguable benefits of            data analysis, some educators remain ambivalent about its                       usefulness. No doubt a few educators cling to the antiquated notion             that data collection is unprofessional. It certainly is true that,              as Bernhardt notes, many educators "lack the training, equipment,               and time to develop and carry out complex analyses." Last but not               least, a fear often exists that data, if publicized, might somehow              expose incriminating inadequacies and/or incompetence. 
Principals             and other administrators can best support data-driven reform                    processes by providing vision and leadership. Although they need not            be proficient themselves in sophisticated data-gathering and data               analysis techniques, they should be acquainted with the field, and              should respect and value data analysis as an increasingly important             tool in education. 
Administrators do not necessarily need to                  direct the data collection and data analysis process, but they must             support it. They must be able to assure the more skeptical                      participants that it is being undertaken not to blame or accuse, but            to give both teachers and students the necessary tools to                       succeed. 
Because administrators often possess a broader view of               the issues that confront a school or district, they can help select             the best, most easily measurable, results-oriented goals and                    initiatives. They can ask questions about student achievement and               teaching practice, and can propose menus of initiatives based on the            acquired data. Finally, they can guide staff development based on               which initiatives have worked and which have not, according to                  analysis of the data. WHAT RESULTS CAN BE EXPECTED FROM DATA                  INQUIRY AND ANALYSIS?Clearly, data analysis is not a panacea                that will solve every problem in a school. But when properly focused            and implemented, data analysis is one tool that a school's staff can            use to help raise educational achievement, thereby increasing                   confidence among faculty, students, and the community regarding the             effectiveness of public education. 
In learning to incorporate data            analysis as a regular part of their professional activity, teachers             become more reflective about their teaching practices, less                     reactive, less willing to accept easy answers, and more open-minded             to solutions based on the data they gather. As a whole, the school              assumes a more professional and civil culture of inquiry, in                    which "teachers share with each other important questions and ideas             related to teaching and learning" (Feldman and Tung 2001). 
Through            program improvements brought about by data analysis, a higher level             of achievement can also be expected of students. In some cases,                 students have even begun emulating the practices of data inquiry                they see their teachers modeling, conducting their own student                  surveys and analyses (Feldman and Tung). RESOURCESBernhardt,              Victoria L. "New Routes Open When One Type of Data Crosses Another."            Journal of Staff Development 21, 1 (Winter 2000).                               http://www.nsdc.org/library/jsd/bernhardt211.html 
Calhoun, Emily              F. How To Use Action Research in the Self-Renewing School.                      Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum                Development, 1994. 
Chrispeels, Janet H., and others. "School                  Leadership Teams: A Process Model of Team Development." School                  Effectiveness and School Improvement 11, 1 (March 2000): 20-56. EJ              611 222. 
Du, Yi, and Larry Fuglesten. "Beyond Test Scores: Edina              Public Schools' Use of Surveys To Collect School Profile and                    Accountability Data." ERS Spectrum (Summer 2001): 20-25. 
Feldman,             Jay, and Rosann Tung. "Using Data-Based Inquiry and Decision Making             to Improve Instruction." ERS Spectrum (Summer 2001):                            10-19. 
Holcomb, Edie L. Getting Excited About Data: How To Combine            People, Passion, and Proof. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press,            1999. 162 pages. ED 433 373. 
Killion, Joellen, and G. Thomas                  Bellamy. "On the Job: Data Analysts Focus School Improvement                    Efforts." Journal of Staff Development 21, 1 (Winter 2000).                     http://www.nsdc.org/library/jsd/killion211.html 
McLean, James E.              Improving Education Through Action Research: A Guide for                        Administrators and Teachers. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin                  Press, 1995. 87 pages. ED 380 884. 
Miller, A. Christine. "School              Reform in Action." Paper presented to the American Educational                  Research Association Conference, New Orleans, April 28,                         2000. 
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Using Data To            Bring About Positive Results in School Improvement Efforts.                     Oakbrook, Illinois: Author, December 2000. 
Sparks,                            Dennis. "Results Are the Reason." Journal of Staff Development                  21,1 (Winter 2000).                                                             http://www.nsdc.org/library/jsd/schmoker211.html 
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A Product            of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, College of                 Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-5207 
This               publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational            Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under                   contract No. ED-99-C0-0011. The ideas and opinions expressed in this            Digest do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI,            ED, or the Clearinghouse. This Digest is in the public domain and               may be freely reproduced. The text of this Digest may be viewed                 electronically at http://eric.uoregon.edu  EA 031 451.                       **Title:** Data Inquiry and Analysis for Educational Reform. ERIC Digest.               **Note:** Digest number 153.                                                           **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, 5207 University of                Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5207. Tel: 800-438-8841 (Toll Free); Fax:              541-346-2334; Web site: http://eric.uoregon.edu; For full text:                 http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/index.html.                     **Descriptors:** Academic Achievement, Administrator Role, Change Strategies, Data,               Data Analysis,  Data Collection, Educational Environment,                       Educational Improvement, Elementary Secondary Education,                       Evaluation,  Information Utilization, Profiles, Research Methodology         **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests,  Reform Efforts                                                
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