Monday, July 18, 2011

Data Driven Decision Making

What is Data- Driven Decision Making, sometimes referred to as D3M or DDDM? DDDM in education refers to teachers, principals, and administrators systematically collecting and analyzing various types of data, including input, process, outcome and satisfaction data. Collecting this data will guide a range of decisions to help improve the success of students and schools. Data are important sources of information to guide improvement at all levels of the education system and to hold individuals and groups accountable, Rand 2006. In the 1980’s corporations began, collecting combining, and crunching data from sources throughout the enterprise. Their goal was to improve decision making. Then two decades later NCLB law is pushing school districts to do the same, this time the goal is increased student achievement. While data alone cannot get students on the right learning path a growing number of administrators are convinced that the process can change education from understanding what works in classrooms to administrative processes and professional development.
The following are facts pros and cons about Data Driven Decision Making according to Administrator’s magazine:
1. If you’re not using data to make decisions, you’re flying blind. Running a school without a data warehouse is like being a plot without an instrument rating.”
2. Get ready to feel Threatened. “The downside to data- driven decision making is that it makes people more accountable; there are corners to hide.”
3. You will be spending more money, not less. It can be a costly long haul when implementing data- driven decision making.
4. Data- Driven decision making does not save time. “Data driven decision making focuses your time, but it is definitely not a timesaver.”
5. Your data’s cleanliness is next to Godliness. “Working with data is very deceptive and educational data is the most complex.”
6. Don’t shoot first and ask questions later. You should figure out exactly what questions you want the data to answer before you buy a turnkey D3M solution.
7. NCLB is just the beginning of your journey. Although NCLB is the driving force for data driven decision making school districts should view D3M solution in the context of sweeping and system- wide school improvement efforts.
8. Word of warning, D3M is highly addictive. “The more you use a data warehouse; the more you want to use it.”
Today many districts are forced with tight budgets and limited resources, having to make tough decisions about cutting programs with a data driven decision making system in place, administrators can quickly and easily analyze the correlation between student participation in these programs and other indicators such as student attendance, discipline incidents, and student achievement, giving them a clean picture about the effectiveness of each program. When forced to make cuts, ineffective programs can be eliminated based on real-time facts and figures.
In conclusion, when used appropriately data –driven decision making can be a powerful process for schools and districts. It can help to narrow achievement gaps, improve teacher quality, improve curriculum development, promote better communication with key stake holders, motivate students and enhance parental involvement in the education process. The most important thing is that it can help districts maximize the use of limited funds to achieve the best impact on student achievement.

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