ERIC Number: EJ985168
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1082-4669
EISSN: N/A
High School Teachers' Use of Data to Inform Instruction
Datnow, Amanda; Park, Vicki; Kennedy-Lewis, Brianna
Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, v17 n4 p247-265 2012
The expectation that teachers will use student achievement data to improve their instruction is a major feature of national and local reform agendas. The theory of action behind data-driven decision making is a mostly causal model of professional action, whereby teachers diagnose weaknesses and implement solutions. The purpose of this article is to examine how high school teachers, situated within their policy and work contexts, use data to inform instructional decisions. Using a framework that draws upon sense-making and co-construction theories on reform implementation, we analyze qualitative data gathered in 4 urban public high schools in the United States. Findings reveal that the process of data use by teachers is complex, multilayered, and influenced by teacher interpretations and social interactions. Teachers used a variety of forms of data to inform their decision making and struggled to reconcile policies promoting data-driven decision making with local beliefs and practices. Implications for research and policy are discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 1 footnote.)
Descriptors: Causal Models, Educational Change, Data, Secondary School Teachers, Data Analysis, Academic Achievement, Decision Making, Teaching Methods, Work Environment, Educational Policy, Guidelines, Qualitative Research, Urban Schools
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A