Dive Brief:

• Public policy think tank the Center for Data Innovation has released a new report, “Building a Data-Driven Education System in the United States,”  that argues the K-12 education system has fallen behind other sectors when it comes to using data strategically.
• According to the report, this has happened because of cultural, political, technological and administrative barriers including inadequate teacher training, a lack of effective tools and privacy fears — but better data use could make education more personalized, evidence-based, efficient and innovative.
• The report urges state and federal policymakers to encourage smarter data collection and management, data system interoperability, access for students and parents to data, data-driven decision-making, pushback to unfounded privacy fears, use of data to promote equity, and the development of a model data-driven school district.

Dive Insight:

The Center for Data Innovation highlights the lack of strategic thinking around data in education as a problem for the entire country and economy. Today’s students are tomorrow's workers and leaders. That kind of big-picture thinking is one way to get attention from sectors outside of education and government. Many schools have already partnered with local businesses to expand opportunities for their students.

Schools have also explored data-driven decision-making for a range of initiatives, including social-emotional learning. District leaders in Texas, California and Illinois recently participated in a webinar to discuss the ways their schools have embraced social emotional learning and used data to decide how to target their supports and improve their programs.