Turning K-12 Data Use into Data Culture: Benefits and Best Practices for Schools and Districts

Insights from a 2022 report, “From Sight to Vision II: When Data Use Becomes Data Culture” ¹ from Whiteboard Advisors

Data culture is a critical component of strategic planning for K-12 schools and districts focused on continuous improvement. But what exactly is data culture, and how can it be built or improved? 

Defined in a recent Forbes’ article, data culture is “the collective behavior and beliefs of people in how they use (or don’t use) data for decision-making.”²

In other words, while factual data is the information you collect, data culture involves harnessing the power of that data. Data culture is more of a mindset and ultimately part of creating a culture of innovation. 

A school or district’s data culture depends on not just collecting data, but on being willing to act on it. Today’s ability to collect and analyze a significant amount of student data holds the promise for education. By painting a complete picture of the whole child, one that gives educators and administrators the ability to see each one as an individual, we have the potential to truly personalize learning. In the process, we can support teachers with informed instruction and build a more equitable educational system.

“A strong data culture can serve as the foundation for a strong organizational culture, one grounded on relationships with students that value the individual stories that data helps tell. In districts and schools with data cultures, educators learn how to use data properly to enhance learning rather than misuse it by turning it into something punitive. And importantly, they discover how to use data to build a picture of a whole child, one that is more than just a number,” says Thomas C. Murray, Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools®. 

In this blog, we’ll discuss insights from the new whitepaper, “From Sight to Vision II: When Data Use Becomes Data Culture.” This research-based report by Whiteboard Advisors, with a foreword by Murray, explores how a strong data culture is the backbone of running an effective learning organization, and how to improve or develop a good data culture.  

What Makes a Data Culture Strong?  

For K-12 organizations, a positive data culture involves leveraging all kinds of data—from attendance and engagement to summative assessments and climate surveys—to create better outcomes, optimize operations, and help students learn. To get there, and achieve a strong data culture, it starts at the top with an organization’s leaders. Superintendents and their leadership team members must make ongoing, robust, and visible efforts to improve their outcomes.  

Collaboration, cooperation, and integration are keys to a healthy data culture. You can’t silo positive data culture within a few forward-thinking individuals. It’s dependent on bringing together both the data and the people who analyze it.

By becoming role models for school officials, teachers, and staff, district leaders and IT departments can create an environment that feels safe to try something new. From there, every member of the organization can feel supported to embrace the power of data as a viable tool for improving student performance.  

Based on trust 

It’s critical to protect education data. K-12 cyberattacks are expected to continue to worsen,³ and educators have a legal and moral responsibility to safeguard student, school, and district information.

The second element of trust is with teachers and other staff who need to believe that classroom data is a tool to inform instruction, rather than just a way to expose ineffective teaching strategies. For teachers to embrace a data culture, they can’t fear that poor student performance data will be used against them. 

Finally, trust also comes in the form of believing in the data you’re using to inform instruction. “In speaking with passionate educators and administrators around the U.S., we’ve learned that creating a true ‘data culture’ means building an environment where everyone believes that using data is essential to achieving instructional and operational goals. The entire community—educators, administrators, and parents—must trust the data, and most importantly, appreciate its value and importance in supporting each student’s unique educational journey,” says Jean-Claude Brizard, President & CEO, Digital Promise.⁴ 

Measure what matters most 

With the increasing dependence on digital tools and collection capabilities, we have more readily available real-time data than ever before. But that doesn’t mean we have to embrace all of it, especially with a teacher’s time already at or past capacity. Too much data, especially information that’s superfluous or not intimately connected to performance or growth, can be overwhelming. 

“Just because we can collect data doesn’t necessarily mean we should,” says Melissa Tebbenkamp, CIO, Raytown Quality Schools, MO. “You can be a really data-rich district, and you can value data, but that doesn’t mean you have to have every piece of data.”

As an example of using data wisely, focusing on information that correlates with your district’s strategic plan ensures you aren’t wasting time and energy collecting every piece of data possible at the expense of making that data actionable.

Share best practices 

Teachers are each other’s best advocates and collaborators. When they share successes and practical experiences of using data, they can get fellow teachers on board and help them overcome obstacles to embrace a positive data culture. 

Districts can use data to identify high-performing classrooms and then connect those teachers with ones who are struggling. The goal is to share that knowledge to learn how to replicate success.  

Build inclusivity through data  

The goal of data is to inform decisions for continual improvement, which can sometimes mean uncovering inequities. These gaps, which may be subjectively overlooked or a result of bias, can impact family engagement and understanding of their child’s learning needs.

According to a recent Digital Promise blog,⁵ “Data equity applies an equity-centered lens and mindset to ensure data is collected, analyzed, interpreted, and shared with diverse stakeholders without bias or exclusion. It enables schools and districts to make informed decisions by ensuring diverse stakeholders are authentically engaged throughout the data cycle.” 

Improving your understanding of how various stakeholders use data differently builds awareness of the importance of inclusivity. You can use the findings to repair damages and rebuild trust.

Best Practices for a Strong Data Culture 

Innovative district leaders can use data to transform their schools—and the lives of their students. Here are best practices to build a robust data culture to help schools and districts use data more effectively:  

1. Start with training on why data matters. Embracing a new data culture can be challenging for school administrators or teachers who don’t automatically understand the role that data can play in informing instruction and improving student achievement. Help make the connection between data and its positive impact when used effectively, and more stakeholders can better grasp its importance.  

1. Exercise patience. Building a data culture involves change, which naturally can meet resistance. If you allow time and paced growth, attitudes have a way of shifting once staff begins seeing the connection between leveraging data and improving academic performance. 

1. Provide continuous support to educators. Embracing a new data culture can be overwhelming. That’s why it’s essential to focus on the application of the data to inform instructional practices instead of getting bogged down in the data collection process.  

 Embarking on the Journey to Improve Data Culture 

To fully embrace a data culture, everyone within the organization needs to fully understand how data can improve academic performance and help meet strategic goals. Providing that clear explanation is a critical step in any school or district’s journey to improve their data culture, and by doing so, continuously improve and meet their strategic goals.  

With a culture of innovation, you can harness the power of your data and act on it to make significant improvements in students’ lives, as well as within the classroom, school, and entire district. 

Resources

¹ Cohen, Liz, and Popoff, Evo, From Sight to Vision II: When Data Use Becomes Data Culture, by Whiteboard Advisors, 2022. https://powerschoolstg.powerschool.com/whitepaper/from-sight-to-vision-2-when-data-use-becomes-data-culture/

² Kesari, Ganes, “4 Key Signals That Indicate A Data Culture Is Thriving In Your Organization,” Forbes, Aug. 25, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ganeskesari/2021/08/25/4-key-signals-that-indicate-a-data-culture-is-thriving-in-your-organization/?sh=7e419b030bb3 

³ Merod, Anna, “With K-12 cyberattacks expected to worsen in 2022, what can districts do?” K-12 Dive, Jan 25, 2022. https://www.k12dive.com/news/with-k-12-cyberattacks-expected-to-worsen-in-2022-what-can-districts-do/617677/  

⁴ Brizard, Jean-Claude, “How a Strong Data Culture Can Support Personalized Learning,” PowerSchool blog, Sept. 8, 2021. https://powerschoolstg.powerschool.com/resources/blog/how-a-strong-data-culture-can-support-personalized-learning/ 

⁵ Nguyen, My, “How Districts Are Using Data Equity to Drive Decisions and Improvements,” Digital Promise, Oct. 18, 2021. https://digitalpromise.org/2021/10/18/how-districts-are-using-data-equity-to-drive-decisions-and-improvements/