In this chapter, we walk the reader through a set of scenarios that administrators might face when using different types of data on campus. We also provide guiding questions to help institutional research professionals explore how to think about these scenarios with ethics in mind.

Most recent research on teacher evaluation examines evaluation's measurement properties and accountability uses. Less research studies how evaluation data can improve teaching and student learning. In other contexts, researchers have examined how teachers use data to improve their practice. From general research on teachers' data use, we apply the…

This study seeks to understand the big-data analytics readiness of four-year public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in North Carolina. The higher education landscape has been experiencing unprecedented challenges including declines in enrollment, graduation rates, and student retention rates. Coupled with cuts in funding at the…

We report the results of a convergent validity study examining the externalizing subscale (SRSS-E5, five items) of the adapted Student Risk Screening Scale for Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE 9) with the externalizing subscale of the Teacher Report Form (TRF) with two samples of K-12 students. Results of logistic regression and receiver…

Implementation of a culturally responsive positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework is associated with positive outcomes for secondary students when implemented schoolwide. Yet, educators often report more implementation challenges in secondary school as compared to elementary school settings. Difficulties obtaining student…

School leadership in education is thinking, communicating, and modeling to maximize student growth and achievement. This quantitative research study explored how school leadership can strengthen the academic progress of students within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). When implementation of MTSS is guided by adaptive school leadership,…

Background/Context: Amidst the complex and fast-paced demands in schools and classrooms, identifying what most deserves educators' attention can pose a challenge. Indicators help focus attention by highlighting key features that signal important outcomes or opportunities to take action or learn. Purpose: Informed by multiple literatures, we offer…

Background/Context: Over the past decade early warning systems which use predictive indicators to identify students in need of additional supports to stay on track to high school graduation have spread from a few schools to most states. There is now a growing interest in extending the utility of early warning systems from high school graduation to…

The use of data to govern education is increasingly supported by the use of knowledge-based technologies, including algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI), and tracking technologies [Fenwick, T., E. Mangez, and J. Ozga. 2014. "Governing Knowledge: Comparison, Knowledge-Based Technologies and Expertise in the Regulation of Education."…

The Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA) launched in 2016 to provide nationally comparable, publicly available test score data for U.S. public school districts. I introduce a special collection of six articles that each use SEDA to lend their questions and findings a national scope. Together, these articles demonstrate a range of uses of SEDA…

The depths of the impact of COVID-19 on nearly every aspect of our personal and professional lives was becoming painfully clear in May and June of 2020. While institutions of higher education had implemented crisis/emergency plans in the immediate onset of the pandemic, and largely extended those efforts into summer terms, the fall 2020 term…

In this research project we describe the legacy software landscape, its current state, and challenges associated with aging information systems and access to its data. We briefly describe the popularity of dynamic languages and how a specific dynamic programming language, Ruby on Rails (RoR or Rails), is used to create a system to extract data…

Kindergarten readiness assessments are commonly used in schools nationwide. Prior work shows that the use of such assessments for class placement decisions has increased in recent years. This article uses the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of 2011 to explore whether the use of readiness assessments for such purpose predicts differential…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the nature and sufficiency of descriptive information included in open datasets and the nature of comments and questions users write in relation to specific datasets. Open datasets are provided to facilitate civic engagement and government transparency. However, making the data available does not guarantee…

"Stackable credential programs" are designed to make it easier for students to earn multiple postsecondary certificates or degrees in a field as they advance in their careers. To examine the stacking of credentials in Ohio and inform ongoing efforts to scale stackable credential programs, the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the…