CAREER: Data-Driven Instructional Systems-- Accessing How School Leaders Develop Local Capacity to Use Data to Influence Instruction

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal studies how leaders build data-driven instructional systems (DDIS) by developing new programs and using existing school functions to create local school systems responsive to changes in student assessment scores. The recent demand for schools to respond to external accountability measures challenges school leaders to create school instructional systems that use data to guide the practices of teaching and learning. For example, leaders who establish structures for teachers to discuss achievement data, consider and experiment with research-based teaching practices, link teacher evaluation to student performance, and/or building a financial system to reward successful teaching are able to intentionally create and exploit the systemic interconnections of school functions to create local DDISs. The project is designed to develop a new understanding of how to access, document and communicate the knowledge that guides the practice of successful instructional leaders. This work is grounded in prior efforts to document the practice of leaders engaged in the difficult work of constructing professional communities, developing inclusive teaching practices, and designing and implementing teacher evaluation programs. As the next step in this research work, investigating DDISs promises to show how school leaders engage in the daunting task of reshaping their school culture to meet external accountability demands. The study will contribute to how we think about the relationship between leadership, school reform, accountability, and leadership preparation Three component activities will furnish educational experiences: (a) the development and dissemination of multimedia cases of practice, (b) insights for how to better teach and design administrator preparation and professional development courses, and (c) graduate student development. A key outcome of the research and a central feature of the education plan will be to develop multimedia cases to make the knowledge that guides DDIS development public. These cases will serve as foundation for reconsidering how to teach leaders-in-training and how to help graduate students recognize and document the central features of leadership practice. The work proposed is consistent with the goals of the university and department to investigate new methods for understanding and communicating school leadership practices.