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Data, Not Guesswork II - Our Featured Seminar

Content Summary

This hands-on workshop de-mystifies data collection and the use of data for decision-making in schools and school districts. It provides:

• A model or framework that explains why different kinds of data are essential;
• Explanations of why the use of data is often misdirected and what to do to avoid those situations;
• Examples of a small set of district measures that address accountability on five dimensions of performance;
• Examples of data that help to drive improvement at three levels-district, building or program, and classroom;
• Practice at creating and interpreting typical graphs that inform decision-makers;
• Application of the ideas presented in the workshop to the real issues facing your educators relative to the use of data in their schools.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Understand the measurement framework and explain it in terms of their own districts, buildings, or other work units;
• Interpret data, using a variety of analytic tools to include histograms, line graphs, and statistical control charts easily produced by off-the-shelf computer programs already available in schools and districts;
• Transfer concepts and applications to their own settings;
• Identify key questions and decisions that offer clues to the kinds of data to be collected in their settings;
• Monitor their own learning, graph the results, and make improvement decisions based on the data.

Who Should Attend

• Superintendents and other senior leaders
• Data and research managers
• Teacher leaders interested in collecting and using data to improve student learning in their classrooms
• Consultants in school improvement (such as educational service agency staff)

What The Workshop Is Not

• A review of student data base computer programs
• A course in statistics