Alabama Could Use Data More Effectively for Decision-Making

A new analysis from The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) reports that states could empower stakeholders to make education decisions with data, but most have not.  Every state now has the ability to improve student achievement using data that follow individual students over time. However, policymakers must now act to ensure data are not only collected but also used to make informed decisions. Empowering stakeholders with this information will increase student success rates.

“The stakes have never been higher as policymakers and educators are asked to deliver all students a world-class education with fewer resources. The education sector will never reach this goal without effective data use and the political leadership to get us there.”

To read the report click here.

The report details 10 policies necessary to support effective data use:
1. Link state K–12 data systems with early learning, post-secondary education, workforce, social services and other critical agencies.
2. Create stable, sustained support for robust state longitudinal data systems.
3. Develop governance structures to guide data collection, sharing, and use.
4. Build state data repositories (e.g., data warehouses) that integrate student, staff, financial and facility data.
5. Implement systems to provide all stakeholders with timely access to the information they need, while protecting student privacy.
6. Create progress reports with individual student data that provide information educators, parents, and students can use to improve student performance.
7. Create reports that include longitudinal statistics on school systems and groups of students to guide  school-, district- and state-level improvement efforts.
8. Develop a purposeful research agenda and collaborate with universities, researchers and intermediary groups to explore the data for useful information.
9. Implement policies and promote practices, including professional development and credentialing, to ensure that educators know how to access, analyze, and use data appropriately.
10. Promote strategies to raise awareness of available data and ensure that all key stakeholders, including state policymakers, know how to access, analyze, and use the information.