Critical data-driven decision making: A conceptual model of data use for equity

Abstract

This paper presents a conceptual expansion of critical data-driven decision making (CDDDM). Data-driven decision making’s (DDDM) roots in scientific management have made it a powerful tool in the enactment of neoliberal logics as data use has been rapidly adopted by schools worldwide. This paper imagines CDDDM as a reorientation of typical DDDM practices towards explicitly liberatory educational goals by grounding data collection and interpretation in theories of inquiry and equity literacy. The authors posit that CDDDM can help to reveal opportunity gaps in students’ school experiences, identify problematic structures and practices, and promote educators’ agency to address them.