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Developing a whole school approach to data requires ongoing commitment from teaching and learning staff. Whilst you can encourage the use of student data in the classroom, without effective planning for how to get staff on board and ongoing support to make it happen, you may encounter barriers.
A Data Group is a group of interested staff and key stakeholders who meet regularly to brainstorm how your school can make the best use of data, identify data driven goals and develop best practices to support staff.
So, how do you put together a Data Group, and how does this help ensure buy-in, commitment and trust from your teachers?
Create the Data Group
The requirements of each operating area of the school will differ, so it's best to include representatives from each department/ area to participate when forming your Data Group. From academic and pastoral leaders, to subject coordinators and classroom teachers, a diverse mix should be invited to join, to encourage a school-wide data-rich culture.
Having representatives from each department also helps ensure that any initiatives the Data Group implement, include benefits to everyone - even if it's only a small component. It's much easier to get people on board from the get-go if they can see an immediate benefit.
Often times, the most influential people in the community aren’t senior leaders or department heads; but are connected to the people around them and have an impact on the way people think. Getting these “hidden influencers” on board will make a big difference in how changes are received at your school. Putting them on the same team as those leading the changes allows you to leverage their influence throughout your community, and create a more positive reception of any potential changes.
Share the Benefits, Research and Resources
One of the core responsibilities of the Data Group is to collate and share key research and resources to encourage and support data use throughout the school. When looking for resources or conducting your own research, it's important to focus on specific points (anecdotal and research based) that reinforce the benefits of data-driven decision making.
To get you started, check out some articles mentioned in our previous blog: Establishing a Vision for a Data-Rich Culture.
The key is getting everyone to see and understand the benefits of using data in the classroom. So, from a teacher's perspective, this would be the ability to support their students and identify who requires extra support, without creating extra work.
Set expectations on the use of data
In order to ensure buy-in and commitment, everyone needs to understand what they need to do with the data, and the overall goal.
Setting expectations too high could create a negative first impression among staff, especially if you are trying to introduce anything with a learning curve. Start with something reasonably quick and simple to achieve, to ease your staff into the process.
Here are some examples of questions that staff could begin answering, using the data that is already collected around the school:
- How often has a student been absent this term and why?
- How do their most recent results in my class compare to other classes (is the student struggling in all classes or just mine)?
- How do their most recent results compare to the latest standardised or diagnostic data (from providers such as ACER, or NAPLAN)?
- What insights have other teachers provided (student notes) and what insights can I share?
This can help staff build a foundational understanding of what they can achieve with data, and allows them to envision your short term and long term goals.
Incorporate data into meetings
It's important to incorporate ongoing data presentations and discussions into your current routine, to ensure that staff continue to see the benefits of using data.
A great way of doing this is by incorporating data into regular discussions and meetings. This could be just a small 5-minute snapshot of data, or a case study on how someone has been able to successfully use data for positive outcomes.
This not only helps support ongoing data literacy, but also normalises data usage and encourages school-wide acceptance of data-informed decision making.
In summary, creating a Data Group of data-driven individuals who can lead by example, and impact the people around them is a great way to build a foundation for a data-rich culture within your school.
