Data for School Improvement: Factors for Designing Effective Information Systems to Support Decision-Making in Schools

TLDR

National legislation has heightened accountability testing, creating pressure to use testing data and other data for instructional decision‑making and spurring interest in educational management information systems. The authors argue that administrators should first review existing knowledge about information systems in education, drawing on business and organizational research, before rushing to build new data systems. They apply business and organizational MIS theory and a recent New York City case study to develop a framework that maps the process from data to decision‑making and highlights how new technologies and analytic approaches can meet educators’ information needs at all system levels. Key factors for effective school information systems include building from classroom and building needs, leveraging teachers’ tacit knowledge, selecting appropriate data, aligning testing with standards, providing professional development on data‑driven instruction, expanding instructional strategies, and pursuing further research.

Abstract

National legislation that increased the role of accountability testing has created pressure to use testing data, along with other data, for instructional decision-making. Connected to this push for data-driven decisionmaking, is the increased interest in data delivery systems or Management Information Systems (MIS) in education. But, before administrators rush to build data and information systems, we argue for a careful review of existing knowledge about information systems in the education sector in light of what business and organizational research already knows about information systems. We draw on the considerable body of business and organizational research on MIS and a recent educational case study in New York City to introduce a theoretical framework to describe the process from data to decision-making in schools. Our exploration of how schools use information focuses on the potential of new technologies and new ways of analysis to meet the information needs of educators across different levels of the system. We conclude with a discussion about critical factors for the development and implementation of effective information systems for schools: 1) Build from the real needs of classroom and building educators; 2) Recognize teachers’ wealth of tacit knowledge as a starting point; 3) Select appropriate data to include in the information system; 4) Effective testing requires close alignment between standards, teaching and testing; 5) Educators need professional development on instructional decision-making that considers the role of data; 6) Educators need expanded repertoires of instructional strategies; and 7) Further research on effective instructional decision-making and IS support is needed.