ABSTRACT
38Research indicates that data use by schools and teachers is not widespread and often happens in a superficial way (Schildkamp et al., 2014; Schildkamp et al.,W 2013; Young, 2006). In fact, this general observation makes good sense, because if one expect schools to (start to) use data, it is clear that there needs to be motivation and a good reason for the school leaders and teachers to do so (Firestone and Gonzalez, 2007; Ikemoto and Marsh, 2007). Integrating data use will be innovative for many schools and therefore demands effort (Schildkamp and Kuiper, 2010). Fundamental questions—the starting point for this contribution—must be posed: Why is data use not widespread and is often superficial? Do schools have good reasons to integrate data use in their school policy and daily operation? What is the added value? How can it be organized in such a way that there is an appropriate balance between efforts, yielding sufficient gains? This contribution will deliberately start from the core processes and concerns of schools, the challenges and needs that are consequences of this, the way in which schools could answer these challenges in general, and the role that the integrated use of data could play in this. At first sight, it will look like data use will not play the most prominent role in this story. However, starting “bottom-up” from the real needs and challenges of schools, we will give data use the balanced and nuanced place it deserves. We will do this by creating a school development model, to which data use will be linked (and not the other way around). As part of this endeavor, we assume that schools will gradually have to grow their data use and that this should happen in line with changing school policy and supportive organizational structures (Schildkamp et al., 2016). We also assume that schools had better start with “small data use” in order to be able to evolve toward use of “Big Data” that will really be integrated in school culture. Big Data use won’t make a large and enduring entry into education if it doesn’t start by supporting the core policy of schools: facilitating and fostering good education and, from the essential consequences of this goal, advancing school leadership and professional development policies (Supovitz, 2010).
