Effective Use of Electronic Data Systems: A Readiness Guide for District and School Leaders

Data fuel the process of change. Schools and districts should have electronic data systems that store data and make it easy to extract useful information. School leaders and their staff have questions; they need answers. Their data, when stored in a suitable electronic data system, will help them construct better answers to their questions more quickly. Do they know what their questions are, what they will be? This guide will help district and school leaders think about what they want from an electronic data system. It will help them identify the right questions to ask about a data system and about their district's readiness and capacity to use it effectively. As they evaluate their responses, they will better understand what they already know and what they have yet to learn, as well as the context within which they will put that knowledge to work. After all, leaders will not receive good value on investments in these systems if they and their staff are not clear about what they expect, what they want, and what their questions are. (Contains 26 resources.) [This paper was also prepared by the Educational Service Agency (ESA) Alliance of the Midwest.]