March 1, 2005

LightWexlerHeinze2005.pdf

CCT recently conducted a three-year study of a large-scale data reporting system, developed by the Grow Network for New York City's Department of Education. This paper presents a data-driven decision-making framework based on two years of research exploring the intersection of decision-support technologies, educators, and the process of transforming data into knowledge. The model looks at three dimensions: the process by which raw data becomes usable information; the effect of the data-reporting tool in shaping that process; and the role of prior knowledge of the decision-maker. The model keeps the teacher at the center of the process and supports the hypothesis that in order for data-driven decision-making to change teaching and learning practices, the focus of professional development should be on teaching and learning, rather than on data analysis.