cover of Handbook of Data-Based Decision Making in Education

Handbook of Data-Based Decision Making in Education

By Theodore Kowalski, Thomas J. Lasley

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About the Book

Though data-based (evidence-based) decision making has long been normative in science-based professions, it has never been an essential benchmark for effective practice in education. This situation began to radically change with the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in 2001. At the heart of this legislation is the belief that educational decision making at all levels should be evidence based to the extent possible. NCLB had (and continues to have) bipartisan political support and, although modifications to the original legislation are sure to occur, the belief in evidence-based decision making isn’t likely to fade away. Education has fought long and hard to gain acceptance as a profession and, since professionals by definition use data to shape the decisions they make, education has little choice but to continue moving in this direction.

This 42-chapter handbook will be a major contribution to the literature of education. It will be a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary, research-based, and practice-based resource that all educators can turn to as a guide to data-based decision making.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives

1. Evidence and Decision Making in Professions. Theodore J. Kowalski, University of Dayton

2. Ethics and Decision Making by Educational Leaders. Paul T. Begley, Penn State University

3. Legal Dimensions of Using Employee and Student Data to Make Decisions. R. Lance Potter and Jacqueline A. Stefkovich, Penn State University

4. The Role of Private Firms in Data-Based Decision Making. Patricia Burch and Tracy Hayes, University of Wisconsin-Madison

5. The No Child Left Behind Act: Making Decisions Without Data or Other Reality Checks. Timothy R. Konold and James M. Kauffman, University of Virginia

Part II: Building Support for Data-Based Decisions

6. Preparing Educators to Effectively Use Student Data Systems. Jeffrey C. Wayman and Vincent Cho, University of Texas-Austin

7. Accessing and Using National Databases. Terrell Lamont Strayhorn, University of Tennessee

8. Developing and Nurturing Resources for Effective Data-Driven Decision Making. Anthony Picciano, Hunter College

9. Preparing Educators to Use Curriculum-Based Measurement. Robin Codding, University of Massachusetts and James Connell, Temple University

10. Principal Leadership, Data, and School Improvement. Michael A. Copland, Michael S. Knapp, and Juli A. Swinnerton, University of Washington

11. Building Data-Driven District Systems: Examples from Three Award-Winning Urban Systems. Heather Zavadsky, University of Texas System

12. School System Strategies for Supporting Data Use. Amanda Datnow and Vicki Park, University of Southern California

13.Research on Teachers’ Using Data to Make Decisions. James Raths, Stephanie A. Kotch and Christine Carrino Gorowara, University of Delaware

14. Research and Evaluation on Data-Based Decisions in Education. Gregory J. Marchant and Sharon E. Paulsen, Ball State University

Part III: Data-Based Applications

15. Using Data to Make Critical Choices. Thomas J. Lasley II, University of Dayton

16. Formative versus Summative Assessments as Measures of Student Learning. Robert Marzano, Mid-continent Research Lab for Education and Learning

17. Using Evidence to Support Administrative Decisions. Jane Hemsley-Brown, University of Surrey, United Kingdom

18. Swimming in the Depths: Educators’ Ongoing Effective Use of Data to Guide Decision Making. Leanne R. Bettesworth and Julie Alonzo University of Oregon and Luke Duesbery, San Diego State University

19. Creative Decision-Making Strategies through Technology-Based Curriculum Tools. John Castellani and Deborah Carran, Johns Hopkins University

20. Aggregating and Analyzing Classroom Achievement Data Supplemental to External Tests. John Burger, Brian Perry, and Megan Eagle, Alberta (Canada) Ministry of Education

21. Collaborative Inquiry and Data-based Decision Making. Douglas Huffman and Kelli Thomas, University of Kansas

22. Evidential Reasoning and Decision Support in Assessment of Teacher Practice. Arthur M. Recesso and Sally J. Zepeda, University of Georgia

23. Data: The DNA of Politically-based Decision Making in Education. Bruce Cooper, Fordham University and John Surequ and Stephen Coffin, Montclair State University

24. Using Data to Assess School Culture. Theodore J. Kowalski, University of Dayton and Tricia Browne-Ferrigno, University of Kentucky

25. Data-Based Teacher Selection: Viewed from a Planning, Recruitment, and Selection Perspective. I. Phillip Young, University of California-Davis

26. Issues of Recruitment and Selection from a Data-based Perspective: Implications for Educational Leadership Programs. I. Phillip Young, University of California-Davis and Carol Mullen, University of North Carolina-Greensboro

27. When Data are Insufficient to Make Group Decisions: A Case Study in Community College Administration. Diane Dunlap, University of Oregon and Renae Weber, Treasure Valley Community College

28. How NCLB has Affected the Practice of School District Superintendents. George Petersen, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Larry Dlugosh, University of Nebraska

About the Author(s)

Theodore J. Kowalski is professor and the Kuntz Family Chair in Educational Administration at the University of Dayton. A former superintendent and college of education dean, he is the editor of the Journal of School Public Relations, serves on the editorial boards of two other journals, and is the author of over 150 professional publications including 31 books. His most recent books are Effective Communication for School Administrators (2007), Case Studies on Educational Administration (5th ed., 2008), School Public Relations (4th ed., 2008), and Data-Driven Decisions and School Leadership (2008).

Thomas J. Lasley II is Dean, School of Education and Allied Professions at the University of Dayton. He has published in excess of 70 articles in professional journals and has authored or co-authored 11 books. He has served on a variety of regional and state level education commissions and boards including the Governor’s Commission on Teaching Success and the Ohio Board of Regents’ Planning and Accountability Committee. He co-founded the Dayton Early College Academy, a unique educational partnership between the University of Dayton and the Dayton Public Schools and is co-chair of the Teacher Quality Partnership.