Policymakers across the country are seeking to better understand credentials of value--the education and training programs that help workers fill in-demand and growing jobs in their states. But right now, leaders are lacking the complete set of information they need to understand P-20W (early childhood, K-12, postsecondary, and workforce) pathways…

While there are many different types of education data, policymakers and education leaders often place heavy emphasis on data from large-scale quantitative measures, such as annual state assessments. But data from these sources alone do not provide a complete picture of learning and are often not well suited to informing improvements at the local…

Using research evidence to guide higher education policies and practice may help to promote rich learning experiences and long-term success for all students. This essay explores paths for research on the use of research evidence in higher education and proposes three considerations for researchers engaging in this work. First, to improve the…

Speculative reform jumps the gun on notions of data-driven reform, requiring administrators to anticipate and act to ensure problems (and the data that would show them) do not materialize. Speculative reforms are incapable of delivering the outcomes they promise, as they are fueled by a fear of the future that their reforms do not extinguish. In…

The rapid development of online education has underscored the necessity of data-driven teaching functions for enhancing teaching quality and efficiency. This paper investigates the role of data-driven approaches in online education, with a particular focus on the practical application of data for evaluating learning outcomes. It highlights the…

The focus of this study was on identifying patterns of student behavior to support data-informed decision-making which would then improve the learning experience and learning outcomes of online English language courses. Learning analytics approach (or more specifically cluster analysis) was used to identify engagement patterns in online learning.…

There is evidence that data-based decision-making (DBDM) can improve outcomes for a wide range of students. However, less is known about how special education teachers are trained to use data to inform instruction that targets academic progress for students with extensive support needs (ESN). The purpose of this systematic literature review was to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence the use of institutional assessment in support of student outcomes at four-year public institutions of higher education. This study focused on small institutions, defined as having enrollment below that of the median value, across the nation. An electronic survey was sent to chief…

This action research study investigates the role of Data-Based Decision-Making (DBDM) in increasing academic outcomes within a charter school network. During Cycle 1, interviews and focus groups with teachers, interventionists, and school deans shed light on critical themes, including leadership, data collection, analytic capacity, and a culture…

Schooling experiences for Black students in the US have been shaped historically by anti-education laws, mandates, and initiatives that sustain unjust systemic practices and policies. These practices and policies often stagnate academic progress and have led to institutional deficits and the normalization of deficit-orientations towards students…

Data from high-quality State assessments can inform instruction and help school leaders drive resources to the schools and students that need them the most. This dear colleague letter from the U.S. Secretary of Education reminds all who report and interpret student outcomes this year that assessment data has always been meant to be used…

In April 2021, the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) convened a working group of institution, state, and national leaders to help advise its efforts to develop a set of principles to improve consistency and reliability in the field for measuring cost savings and the return on investment (ROI) of open education resources (OER). The result…

Prioritizing social, emotional, and behavioral supports is essential for student success. By establishing systems to support students' social (how they interact), emotional (how they feel), and behavioral (how they act) needs and growth, educators and leaders can ensure that all students have full access to instruction and the essential skills for…

Degree completion rates have recently dominated national debates regarding the value of higher education (Gagliardi et al., 2018). Inherent in this debate is the issue of how to utilize institutional data to evaluate student performance (Hubbard et al., 2020). This process, known as data-driven decision-making (DDDM), has been studied at four-year…

First-Year Engineering (FYE) programs are a critical part of engineering education, yet they are quite complex settings. Given the importance and complexity of FYE programs, research to better understand student learning and inform design and assessment in FYE programs is imperative. Therefore, this dissertation showcases various uses of data…