Data-Driven Leadership

Data-Driven Leadership

by Amanda Datnow, Vicki Park
Released March 2014
Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9780470594797

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Book description

Tools and techniques from the trailblazers in data-based education reform

Over a period of several years, Amanda Datnow and Vicki Park visited public schools with a reputation for being ahead of the pack in data-driven decision making. The results of this pioneering study reveal how education leaders can make data work for students and teachers, rather than against them.

This book is an essential guide to meeting the challenges of high-stakes accountability, building performance-based schools, and improving student outcomes. By following the advice in this book, you'll be able to transform data overload into a data-positive school culture. You'll learn the difference between "data-driven leadership" and "data-informed leadership," and how to use distributed leadership to inspire collaboration and guided analysis.

Incorporating narrative reflections drawn from real educators and administrators, the authors refine their observations and interviews into practical conclusions that leaders can put to use immediately. This book empowers leaders to support inquiry, build trust in data-based initiatives, establish goals for evidence use, and provide educators with the skills they need to mobilize data for the good of all stakeholders.

"Datnow and Park's ideas are easily accessible and grounded in clear examples, and their seven 'calls' about what needs to be done nail the problem and the solutions. Use this book as your action guide and you'll be rewarded with better results in student learning."

—Michael Fullan, professor emeritus, University of Toronto

"Datnow and Park uncover, at last, what it means to use data to inform leadership. Documenting the four P's (people, policies, practices, and patterns) in schools, we learn about the organization and dynamics of reform informed by data. A must read!"

—Ann Lieberman, senior scholar, Stanford University

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. More Praise for Data-Driven Leadership
  3. The Jossey-Bass Leadership Library in Education
  4. Titles in the Jossey-Bass Leadership Library in Education Series
  5. Title Page
  6. Copyright
  7. Contents
  8. The Authors
  9. Acknowledgments
  10. Chapter 1: The Promise and Pitfalls of Data-Driven Decision Making
    1. Perils and Perverse Incentives
    2. The Promise of Data Use for Equity and Excellence
    3. What Counts as Data?
    4. What Is Data-Informed Decision Making?
    5. The Critical Role of Data-Informed Leadership
    6. The Knowledge Base for This Book
    7. Organization of the Book
  11. Chapter 2: The Four Ps of Educational Reform
    1. A Framework for Understanding Data Use: The Power of the Four Ps
    2. The Four Ps Approach to Understanding Data-Informed Leadership
    3. The Data Use Studies
    4. Important Features of the Sites We Studied
    5. To Sum Up
  12. Chapter 3: Reculturing for Data Use
    1. Creating a Culture of Data Use for Continuous Improvement
    2. The Role of Culture in Enabling Data Use: Partnerships between Schools and Districts
    3. Understanding How Change Happens and Using Data Thoughtfully
    4. Establishing Expectations
    5. Sharing Data for Decision Making
    6. Building Trust through Flexibility and Teacher Expertise
    7. Creating a Culture of High Expectations for Student Learning
    8. Shifts in Beliefs and Ongoing Tensions
    9. To Sum Up
  13. Chapter 4: Goals, Routines, and Tools for Data Use
    1. The Importance of Goal Setting to Measure Progress
    2. Tools: District Curricular Guidelines
    3. Routines: Benchmark Assessments
    4. Tools: Data Management Systems
    5. Routines: Structured Time for Collaboration
    6. Tools: Protocols to Guide Data-Informed Decision Making
    7. To Sum Up
  14. Chapter 5: Using Data for Instructional Improvement
    1. Using Multiple Types of Data Tied to Learning and Teaching Goals
    2. How Data Use Changes Classroom Practices: Pausing, Reflecting, and Reteaching
    3. Moving toward Student Engagement as the Center of Instructional Improvement
    4. Data Don't Tell Us Everything
    5. Building Instructional and Data Use Knowledge and Skills: Challenges and Supports
    6. To Sum Up
  15. Chapter 6: Facing the Future with Data-Informed Leadership
    1. Call #1: Use Data to Support a Culture of Inquiry and Continuous Improvement
    2. Call #2: Use Knowledge of the Four Ps in Planning Reform Efforts
    3. Call #3: Build Trust in the Process of Data Use
    4. Call #4: Build Skills and Knowledge for Data Use
    5. Call #5: Establish Goals, Routines, and Tools to Support Data Use
    6. Call #6: Keep Equity Concerns at the Forefront
    7. Call #7: Center Data Use around Improving Instructional Practice
    8. Facing the Future with Bold Leadership
  16. Appendix: Characteristics of Case Study Schools and Districts
  17. Notes
  18. Index

Product information

  • Title: Data-Driven Leadership
  • Author(s): Amanda Datnow, Vicki Park
  • Release date: March 2014
  • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
  • ISBN: 9780470594797