Empowering teachers to be more proactive with data

With the ever-present pressure to be data-informed in just about everything we do in schools, many teachers can find the task of weaving data into their practice overwhelming - particularly for those who lack the confidence and skills necessary to interpret certain data sets. Even more so than the potential hurdle of confidence and skill, finding the time to devote to data analysis can be a huge challenge for teachers. It's no secret that teacher workload is through the roof - in the 2022 'Australian Teachers' Perceptions of Their Work' report produced by Monash University, over 86% of teachers reported that their workloads are unmanageable.

While there is no single answer to the challenge of reducing workload and freeing up teacher time, there are steps that school leaders can take to empower teachers to become more self-sufficient and proactive with data, which in turn can help to improve student growth and teacher efficacy.

1. Evaluate current data practices

Data can become even more confusing and inaccessible when spread out across multiple locations, which is the case for many schools. In a recent survey of teachers from our Intellischool subscriber schools, almost 30% of respondents indicated they have little to no confidence in locating relevant data quickly and easily. School leaders can empower teachers to make effective use of data on a more regular basis by reflecting on:

•    what kind of data is collected and stored,

•    where it's being stored,

•    why the data is stored there,

•    why we collect that kind of data in the first place, and

•    how fragmented data can be brought together in a centralised location.

As part of Intellischool’s approach to supporting schools with data, we work closely with schools to evaluate and improve upon their data practices. Here are a few of the questions we ask schools to consider at the beginning of training:

•    Who are the key staff involved in undertaking key data-related activities?

•    What are the key activities for our school as far as data is concerned?

•    What are the minimum expectations for data use by these key staff? i.e. How often do we expect staff to be accessing data, and how do we expect them to use it?