This paper explores the significance of schools' data infrastructures as a site of institutional power and (re)configuration. Using 'infrastructure studies' as a theoretical framework and drawing on in-depth studies of three contrasting Australian secondary schools, the paper takes a holistic look at schools' data infrastructures. In contrast to…

Schools now face considerable pressure to be using educational data to inform decision-making and become more efficient. Key to this rise of the 'data-driven' school is the increased use of digital technologies -- with computer-based data processing fuelling hopes for the technology-driven 'smart schooling' and a general 'datafication' of…

We turn a critical lens to ethical research practices in the context of 'insider' higher education research. Tensions arise due to the risks involved in navigating academic identity and teacher-researcher authenticity. We offer two case studies where ethical tensions surfaced methodological concerns for researchers and participants. Case study one…

This paper critically examines the design and impact of two commonly used education platforms for reading, "PM eCollection" and "Epic." Framed by a data justice lens, the study employs a walkthrough methodology to examine the ways each platform (re)configures teaching and learning practice, and more broadly schooling. The study…

The purpose of this small case-study is to gain an in depth understanding of how secondary school teachers perceive that data walls impact their teaching practices and subsequently, students' learning and growth. By drawing on a conceptual model of evidence-informed practice (EIP), this case study examined responses from secondary school teachers…

We draw upon Appadurai's 'scapes' and Latour's Actor Network Theory (ANT) to interrogate historical and spatial flows in relation to specific testing technologies. We reveal how testing systems, conceptualised as actor-networks, rearticulate colonial legacies of inequality which are intensified by new and emerging technologies. ANT helps trace…

This paper considers the subjectivation of students in light of the increasing amounts of digital data that are now being produced within schools. Taking a lead from critical data studies and the sociology of numbers, the paper draws on staff interviews in three Australian secondary schools to explore the various types of student data being…

The use of digital technologies within schools is leading to the increased generation, processing and circulation of data relating to students. To date, academic research around this 'datafication' of schools and schooling has tended to focus on institutional issues of governance and commercialisation, with relatively little consideration of…

This paper reports results from an Australian study into how teachers see features of quality in student work and connect these to next-step teaching. Data were drawn from a national 3 year project investigating teacher judgement using A-E standards. The project developed scaled exemplars of authentic student written performance assessments to…

Commercial platforms are being increasingly used in classrooms as teaching and learning tools. Beyond shifts in practice to accommodate this, the teacher becomes a tool of the platform -- generating and collecting data for commercial entities. It is time to move from commercial platforms working through teachers to influence education, towards…

This article examines digital data use within three Australian secondary schools, drawing on in-depth interviews with 50 school staff to explore tensions between: (i) established logics of "data-driven" schooling; and (ii) emerging "datafied" practices associated with digital systems, platforms and devices. Using sociological…

Purpose: This paper establishes the attitude of Australian livestock farmers toward the use of mobile applications (apps) in farmer extension, training and on-farm decision making. It also determines levels of technology adoption of smartphones and agriculture app use, as well as identifies factors that may influence app adoption. Methodology: A…

Evidence based decision making is essential for enabling improved student learning. Teacher motivations and beliefs about the types and use of data are critical determinants of decision making. Our research explored the types of data teachers use and consider valuable when measuring improvement in student learning. Findings from 294 teachers from…

The validity of evidence obtained from classroom assessments in schools is an important concept as significant decisions are made from teachers' judgments of this evidence. However, what is not clear are the classroom assessment practices that teacher teams use to ensure that the evidence of student learning produced from classroom assessments is…

This paper explores how trust in teacher professional judgment has been reconstituted through the globalised trends of performative accountability and reductive data-driven logics. The article draws upon empirical research from interviews with teachers and school leaders as well as observations of teacher preparation days, classroom and staff…