Data Literacy For Teachers:
What is it, what do we know
about how to make it happen
and why is it important?
Albany, NY
June 18, 2014
Ellen B. Mandinach, WestEd
Why is Data Literacy
Important?
•
Emphasis by policymakers
•
Philosophical shift to continuous improvement
•
Evidence not gut feelings
•
No longer a passing fad
•
Helping teachers to help all children learn
Why Now?
•
Emerging technological solutions from complex data systems to
data dashboards
•
Proliferation of diverse data sources
•
The building of human capacity has not kept up with the
development of the technological infrastructure
•
Even if educators know they should become data-informed, there
are still many challenges
Data Use is NOT
New
It has been around for a
long time
This is How We
Are Thinking
About the
Construct
What is Data Literacy for
Teaching?
(from Mandinach, Friedman, & Gummer, in press)
The ability to transform information into actionable
instructional knowledge and practices by collecting,
analyzing, and interpreting all types of data (assessment,
school climate, behavioral, snapshot, longitudinal, momentto-moment, etc.) to help determine instructional steps. It
combines an understanding of data with standards,
disciplinary knowledge and practices, curricular knowledge,
pedagogical content knowledge, and an understanding of
how children learn.
Now To Get
Down Into the
Weeds
Our Conceptual Framework
Developing a Conceptual
Framework
Take Home Messages from
Prior Work
• Lack of clarity in the terminology – data literacy means different
things to different people
• Developmental continuum for educators’ acquisition of data literacy
skills and knowledge is unknown
• Process to elevate the importance to schools of education to have
them help build human capacity is complex
How best to integrate data literacy into higher education – stand-alone
or cross program?
• Courses or integrated suites of courses?
•
• Professional development is not enough
• Recognition of the systemic nature of the issue
And Another Issue: An Important
Distinction
•Data literacy is not the same thing as assessment literacy.
•They are two different constructs.
•Experts see assessment literacy as part of data literacy
because data literacy refers to the use of many sources of
data, not just assessment data.
Looming Questions and
Issues
What we still don’t know
•Lack of clarity in the terminology
•Developmental continuum for educators’ acquisition of data
literacy skills and knowledge is unknown
•Process to elevate the importance to schools of education
to have them help build human capacity is complex
•
How best to integrate data literacy into higher education – stand-alone
or cross program?
•Recognition of the systemic nature of the issue
•Courses or integrated suites of courses?
Change Will
Require Many
Stakeholders
The Systemic Nature of the
Issue
Who are the Key Players?
•State Education Agencies
•State Licensure Agencies
•Professional Organizations
•Schools of Education
•Testing Organizations
•Local Education Agencies
•Others
A Real Possibility
•Residency programs can become leaders in the field
•More flexibility, less constraints
•Less inertia that traditional schools of education
This Work is Not
for the Faint Of
Heart
I Hope You
Understand My
Point – You Can
Make IT
Happen!
What’s the
difference
between
elephants
mating and
establishing the
importance of
data literacy?