In a previous BI Tool post, I highlighted some of the data visualizations that can be automated—and how they can save educators countless hours of time. I asked this question: If you can build a report that saves people time, is there any better outcome? I thought I’d expand on that idea a bit. Really, … Continue reading 4 Data Visualizations that Remove Barriers Between Data and Action
Happy spring, fellow educators! As the days warm and the school year enters its final stretch, we encourage you to take some deep breaths and begin to set intentions around how you’d like to wrap this school year up for yourself and your students. We were moved by this article, Teachers’ Mental Health Linked to … Continue reading Get Ready for Summer with Some Mindful Reflection
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have popularized over the years due to their emphasis on collaboration, their focus on using data to drive conversation and action, and their ability to discover insights that improve both instruction and student learning outcomes. While PLCs have a lot of value to offer, districts often encounter a number of logistical … Continue reading Improving PLC Meetings with Process & Data
Almost every district, charter, or educational organization has a strategic plan. Sometimes, we refer to these as improvement plans or action plans. Strategic plans are partially an accountability piece, but they are also more than that: they help us articulate our goals for supporting students—and the specific, measurable actions we’ll take to achieve those goals. … Continue reading Data Visualization & Action Plans: Filling Gaps in Seeing the “Big Picture”
This excerpt comes from our latest white paper written in conjunction with Gina Thompson, Superintendent of Yuma Union High School District. Read the entire article here. Based on raw numbers, Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) would appear to be a school district poised to fail. Poverty is endemic to the region; 73% of YUHSD … Continue reading How a Focus on Access & Equity Is Making a Difference in Yuma
The path to improved literacy requires data-literate educators. Literacy is the cornerstone of education, and a key to thriving in adulthood. True literacy means not just knowing how to decode printed language, but also being able to write, speak, and communicate across a wide range of media. Students who achieve high levels of literacy experience … Continue reading Keeping the Push Towards Literacy on Our Minds
The most popular analogy used to describe a data dashboard is a car’s dashboard, which gives instant access to critical information. An automobile dashboard allows the driver to view the various instruments to monitor the many functions of the car and engine. In a car, the instruments will instantly tell you the status of fuel … Continue reading Does Your School District Need a Data Dashboard?
Educational reform has taken many forms throughout history. But all reform efforts are based on the premise that improvements made to the educational system will have large returns to society. In particular, in the form of increased well-being and decreases in long-term societal costs. In the 1980s, a marked change took place in the approach … Continue reading Writing a Continuous Standards-Story for Students
Presented by Mark Adato – Transcription Below Introduction Welcome to the “Illuminate Whiteboard Series.” My name is Mark Adato. I’m an Implementation Manager on the D and A team, and today, we’re talking about the next generation science standards, also known as NGSS. So let’s talk about these standards that science teachers all over the … Continue reading What is NGSS Anyway?
The Illinois Report card has undergone two major changes throughout the few years. The good news is that it currently sits as one of the most user-friendly and informative state school reports in the country. Before explaining how the Report Card has improved, it helps to have a basic understanding of its definition and function. … Continue reading Understanding the Shifts in Illinois State Reporting