Opening or closing doors for students? Equity and data-driven decision-making

Data-driven decision-making is key pillar of educational reform initiatives in countries across the globe. While approaches to data use vary, the theory of action underlying these efforts is often similar. The common idea is that when leaders and teachers are knowledgeable about how to use data, they will become more effective in reviewing their existing capacities, identifying weaknesses, and charting plans for improvement. In the classroom, data can inform how teachers plan lessons, identify concepts for re-teaching, and differentiate instruction. For all these reasons, data use has significant implications for teaching and leadership. Ensuring equitable opportunities and outcomes for all students is also top priority of educators and policymakers. Data use can be an important lever for achieving equity, but how this may occur has not been well understood. Drawing on findings from in-depth qualitative research, this presentation will illuminate the conditions under which data-use efforts can help to open – or close – doors for students. Through a careful examination of day-to-day practices in schools and systems, this presentation will uncover how thoughtful data-use practices can expand students’ opportunities to learn, whereas misinformed use of data can limit their opportunities

NEPC Review: The Opportunity Myth (TNTP, September 2018)

A TNTP report aims to expose what it labels the &ldquo;opportunity myth&rdquo; in American education: that while schools purport to prepare students well, they don&rsquo;t deliver. It paints a dramatic picture of American students being misled by false promises of opportunity, when they could make significant learning gains if they experienced grade-level content, strong instruction, deep engagement, and high expectations. The report contends that these negative experiences are primarily the result of educators&rsquo; daily decisions and are magnified for students of color and low-income students. Though the report presents an array of qualitative and quantitative data, some of its particular claims are not fully supported by evidence, and it is unclear how key constructs are measured. Importantly, in describing educators&rsquo; decisions, the report does not sufficiently account for larger systemic and societal impediments to opportunity that serve to establish and maintain many of the obstacles and problematic patterns the report observes.</p

Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk: Report #35

The Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR) was established in 1994 and continued until 2004. It was a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and Howard University. CRESPAR’s mission was to conduct research, development, evaluation, and dissemination of replicable strategies designed to transform schooling for students who were placed at risk due to inadequate institutional responses to such factors as poverty, ethnic minority status, and non-English-speaking home background.Urban districts around the United States are attempting systemic change by offering schools a “menu” of externally developed school reform designs. Yet, how do faculties who are relatively unfamiliar with the designs choose among them?Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education (R-117-D40005

Extending Educational Reform

In an effort to improve student achievement, thousands of US schools have adopted school reform models devised externally by universities and other organizations. Such models have been successful in improving individual schools or groups of schools, but what happens when educational reform attempts to extend from one school to many? Through qualitative data from several studies, this book explores what happens when school reform 'goes to scale'. Topics covered include: *why and how schools are adopting reforms *the influence of the local context and wider constraints on the implementation of reform *teachers and principals as change agents in schools *the evolution of reform design teams *the implementation, sustainability and expiration of reform, and its impact on educational change Each chapter concludes with guidelines for policy and practice. This book will be of interest to educational leaders and staff developers, educational researchers and policy makers, in the US and internationally

Uso de datos en la promoción de la mejora

Encouraging the use of data among teachers requires explicit directive action. Achieving this can have a significant impact on school improvement. Empirical studies, which both authors have directed in their respective countries, allow them to affirm from the evidence that, beyond the marked differences between both educational systems, there is a set of directive practices that favor the use of data that contributes to improvement. Among them, the managers give meaning and projection to the use of data by teachers, creating the organizational conditions so that the use of generated information can be a systematic practice within each institution center. For this, the authors also highlight the importance of the directive function in terms of intellectual stimulation around the use of data with teachers in the school. Incentivar o uso de dados entre professores requer uma ação diretiva explícita. Conseguir isso pode ter um impacto significativo na melhora da escola. Os estudos empíricos que ambos os autores dirigiram em seus respectivos países permitem afirmar que, além das diferenças marcantes entre os dois sistemas educacionais, há um conjunto de práticas diretivas que favorecem o uso de dados que contribuem para a melhora. Entre eles, os gestores dão sentido e projeção ao uso de dados pelos professores, criando as condições organizacionais para que o uso da informação gerada seja uma prática sistemática dentro de cada instituição. Para isso, os autores também destacam a importância da função do gestor em relação a estimular o uso de dados entre os professores na escola. Incentivar el uso de datos entre los docentes requiere de una acción directiva explícita. Lograrlo puede impactar significativamente en la mejora escolar. Estudios empíricos que ambas autoras han dirigido en sus respectivos países, les permiten afirmar a partir de la evidencia que, más allá de las marcadas diferencias entre ambos sistemas educativos, existe un conjunto de prácticas directivas que favorecen un uso de datos que contribuya al mejoramiento. Entre ellas, el que los directivos den sentido y proyección al uso de datos por parte de los docentes, creando las condiciones organizacionales para que la utilización de información generada, sea una práctica sistemática al interior de cada centro. Para ello, las autoras también relevan la importancia de la función directiva en cuanto a la estimulación intelectual en torno al uso de datos con los docentes en la escuela

Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk: Report #48

The Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR) was established in 1994 and continued until 2004. It was a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and Howard University. CRESPAR’s mission was to conduct research, development, evaluation, and dissemination of replicable strategies designed to transform schooling for students who were placed at risk due to inadequate institutional responses to such factors as poverty, ethnic minority status, and non-English-speaking home background.In this comprehensive report, the authors examine four distinct processes for reforming nine low-performing Title I schools in challenging high-poverty contexts.Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education (R-117D-40005

The gender politics of educational change

Based on qualitative study of a restructuring high school, this book show how a group of entrenched teachers used gender politics as a strategy to head off reformv, 147 p.; 24 cm

The gender politics of educational change

Based on qualitative study of a restructuring high school, this book show how a group of entrenched teachers used gender politics as a strategy to head off reformv, 147 p.; 24 cm

The gender politics of educational change

Based on qualitative study of a restructuring high school, this book show how a group of entrenched teachers used gender politics as a strategy to head off reformv, 147 p.; 24 cm