Using data wisely at the system level

Abstract

District administrators who want to build capacity for data use in schools may be well-served by starting in the central office. This case study of the Boston Public Schools shows how central office administrators can leverage their own data inquiry cycles to improve the ways they support schools in using data. Using the Data Wise Improvement Process, this central office team revamped its model for supporting teachers as they identify, practice, and integrate new instructional strategies to better meet the student needs they uncovered in their data. Here’s what it looks like when inquiry facilitators “walk the walk” of continuous improvement.