Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, there has been an increased national focus on accountability in education (Jacobs, Gregory, Hoppy, & Yendol-Hoppey, 2009). This focus has developed into a movement that has become one of the central themes of the national dialogue around student achievement and school improvement. One result of this movement has been increased external pressures to demonstrate results as documented through data, which in turn requires educators to analyze and use data to inform instructional decision making. To meet these growing accountability requirements and facilitate the process of analyzing and using data, schools have implemented initiatives such as Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and Response to Intervention (RtI). PLCs and RtI both provide structured support for using data to inform instruction. In spite of efforts such as these, the literature indicates that many educators feel ill equipped to analyze and use data and, further, that there may be several factors contributing to why they feel this way (Jacobs et al., 2009; Ronka, Lachat, Slaughter, & Meltzer, 2008). Although the literature identifies potential factors that may contribute to why educators may have certain perspectives on using data, little is known about the interrelatedness of these factors, which of these factors may be most important, or how best to address these factors through formal coursework or professional development. The purpose of this study was to address the gap between how policymakers and educational leaders expect data to be used to inform instruction and how classroom-level educators internalize and implement these expectations. This study attempted to address this gap by exploring educators' perspectives on using data, their views of their own data analysis skills, how they value and make meaning of data, and the characteristics of their training and/or organizational cultures contribute to these views. Research regarding educators' perspectives on using data for decision making should not only address a gap in the literature but also provide an impetus for the development of professional development programs to meet the needs of educators in both leadership and practitioner roles. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]