Using Data in Schools to Inform Leadership and Decision Making

A volume in International Research on School LeadershipSeries Editors Alan R. Shoho and Bruce G. Barnett University of Texas at San AntonioOur fifth book in the International Research on School Leadership series focuses on the use of data in schoolsand districts as useful information for leadership and decision making. Schools are awash in data andinformation from test scores to grades to discipline reports and attendance as just a short list of studentinformation sources while additional streams of data feed into schools and districts from teachers andparents as well as local regional and national policy levels. To deal with the data schools have implementeda variety of data practices from data rooms to data days data walks and data protocols. However despite the flood of data successful school leadersare leveraging an analysis of their school's data as a means to bring about continuous improvement in an effort to improve instruction for all students.Nevertheless some drown some swim while others find success. Our goal in this book volume is to bring together a set of chapters by authors whoexamine successful data use as it relates to leadership and school improvement. In particular the chapters in this volume consider important issues inthis domain including:• How educational leaders use data to inform their practice.• What types of data and data analysis are most useful to successful school leaders.• To what extent are data driven and data informed practices helping school leaders positively change instructional practice?• In what ways does good data collection and analysis feed into successful continuous improvement and holistic systems thinking?• How have school leadership practices changed as more data and data analysis techniques have become available?• What are the major obstacles facing school leaders when using data for decision making andhow do they overcome them?