Data Use in the School and Classroom: The Challenges of Implementing Data-Based Decision Making Inside Schools

WCER Working Paper No. 2002-2

Christopher A. Thorn

April 2002, 13 pp.

ABSTRACT: Systemic efforts to implement data-based decision making at the school and classroom level face several challenges. First, most data available within district information systems are limited to what has been deemed important for the operational needs of schools and the district. Second, educational organizations have little experience integrating complex data into their decision-making processes. Third, although large-scale assessment and accountability data are more generally available for gauging the performance of educational systems, there are major differences between the evidence used for external accountability systems and the data needed for making instructional decisions on a daily basis in the classroom

Full Paper

keywords: Decision Support; Educational Management.