OK, “banned” may be a little strong. But I think it’s fair to say that the traditional ways of “training” educators how to use data systems don’t work. Not in the sense of helping a critical mass of users consistently…
What’s Next: Studying Longitudinal Effects of Teacher Use of a Computer Data System on Student Achievement.
In my previous post, I told you about our recent study. In it, we looked at teacher use of a data system over two years and correlated that use with student achievement. Much to our chagrin, we didn’t find consistent…
Longitudinal Effects of Teacher Use of a Computer Data System on Student Achievement…Oooo!
We just had a research article posted in AERA Open (a fairly new online journal that you should be reading). I worked with Shana Shaw and Vincent Cho on this study, and you can access the article here. Read on,…
There’s a New Survey on the Way: the Teacher Data Use Survey
Guess what? In Fall 2016, Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia will release the Teacher Data Use Survey. It will be a free resource, developed through the REL program and the Institute of Education Sciences. Schools, districts, researchers, and others can…
If I Use Data Like You Say, What Doesn’t Get Done?
A middle school math teacher is teaching a lesson on how to figure percentage. He gives the lesson, then during homework time, he goes around to answer questions and see how the students are doing. As they leave, he thinks,…
Using Data as a Communication Tool
Did you ever think about educators using data as a communication tool? You probably have and you’ve probably seen it done. Or if you haven’t, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that, if chosen well, various forms of data…
It’s Complicated: How Data Will Transform Education (Or Not).
Sam Stringfield once told me that he heard Nate Gage say that for 50 years, Gage was told, “Computers will transform education – it’s just around the corner.” Gage reported that a 50 year corner was something to gaze at…
A Side Effect of the Testing Culture
We all know about side effects of the testing culture: kids pressured by tests, kids spending too much time on tests, teachers feeling like it takes away instruction, etc. I don’t need to describe these to you. We don’t often…
Data-Informed Practice: It’s Not Just About Test Scores (Part 3: Computer Data Systems)
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this blog series, data use is often disjoint and removed from practice. I believe that’s often because of a focus on test scores. In this series, I’m examining supports that can help recast…