SETDA's NLI Toolkit 2003 - Data Driven Decision-Making & Data Collection


	1. Chapter Summary 2. Description of the National Context 3. Implementation Strategies 4. Using Data for Student Achievement 5. Promising Practices 6. Resources & Readings 7. Next Steps

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Implementation Strategies to Consider in Data Collection and Reporting

Action Planning Process

Determine the impetus for gathering data.
Select instruments to meet goals.
Determine how to select participants.
Determine infrastructure for delivery and compiling data.
Analyze the data.
Report/communicate findings.

Implementation Strategies for Data Collectin

1. Determine the Impetus for Gathering Data.

Key Question: What is the reason behind gathering your data?

Actions Considerations Suggestions

Determine the Impetus for Gathering Data.
To comply with federal and/or state legislation?
To inform funding and policy decisions?
To identify instructional interventions?
To initiate school improvement?
To comply with a regional mandate?
To answer a political information request?
A combination of any or all of the above?

Define the questions you want answered.
Define the indicators you will accept as evidence for the reason/goal.
Collect only the data you will need to answer your original questions.

2. Select Instruments to Meet Goals.

Key Question: What instruments will you use to collect your data?

Actions Considerations Suggestions

Select Instruments to Meet Goals.
Type of data needed (i.e. trend)
Budget
Timeline
Audience
Online vs. paper
Internal/in-house vs. vendor
Human resource, time and effort

Use and/or modify existing sources of data and data collection instruments.
If not available, buy or construct instruments.
Clarify terms and operational definitions.
Pilot the instrument regardless of source.
Pilot output and/or report.
Revise and re-evaluate after pilot if necessary.

3. Determine how to select participants.

Key Question: Will your data collection use a form of sampling or will it collect data from the entire population?

Actions Considerations Suggestions

Determine How to Select Participants.
Budget
Timeline
Availability of participants
Infrastructure
Original goal/purpose
One time or repeated
Longitudinal study/cohort
Human resource, time and effort

Use the What Works Clearinghouse as a resource.

4. Determine infrastructure and protocol for delivering and compiling data.

Key Question: How will the data be delivered to the analysts?

Actions Considerations Suggestions

Determine Infrastructure for Delivery and Compiling Data.
Centralized vs. decentralized/local warehouse
Policy requirements for how it is delivered
Budget
Timeline
Participant access
Commercial
Merge with existing data (if applicable)
Paper vs. online

Use the What Works Clearinghouse as a resource.

5. Analyze the data.

Key Question: How will the data be analyzed?

Actions Considerations Suggestions

Analyze the Data.
Can professional development be used to build capacity to analyze data?
Outsource
Surprises?
Compare field report to pilot

Determine format of eventual report early on to guide the analysis.
Determine level of access and authorization.
Audience determines level of analysis (i.e. Local, State, Federal).
Merge with other data (if applicable).

6. Report/Communicate findings.

Key Question: Who is the audience for the report and what reporting format will best serve them?

Actions Considerations Suggestions

Report the Results.
Audience
Participants
Their supervisors
Policy makers and legislators
Public
Federal and state reporting
Press

Use executive summaries.
Provide raw data to federal and state entities.
Consider merging with other data (i.e. census).
Provide protocols for merging of data.