Dive Brief:
- Even educators who have access to important student and operational data can be at a loss when it comes to properly analyzing it, but tools exist to turn reams of data into actionable information for schools.
- Elizabeth Combs, managing director of the Frontline Research and Learning Institute, writes for EdTech: Focus on K-12 about a need for districts to put data about professional absences into context and strategize potential solutions.
- The institute’s research found human resources administrators tend to overestimate the number of professionally-related absences among teachers, while leaders in curriculum and instruction underestimate the frequency of these absences.
Dive Insight:
Leaders in the corporate world have long used data analytics to find new efficiencies in their operations and increase profits. K-12 districts are coming later to the strategy, but now that more teaching and learning happens in digital environments, schools are collecting more data to analyze. Personalized learning efforts take advantage of data analytics to help students progress at their own pace.
On the operational side, getting to the root of teacher absences can be a boon for districts struggling to overcome shortages among teachers and substitutes. Data analytics can also help identify patterns in teacher attrition. Finding trends in unique datasets is the first step to creating local solutions.
