社区黑料

Even as information about schools proliferates across the internet, a聽 of that parents and teachers want more meaningful student data, capturing children鈥檚 relationships with education that go beyond just their grades or even time in school.

Half of parents strongly agree and 43 percent somewhat agree that they support teachers鈥� using student data like grades, attendance and test scores to ensure that their children are receiving 鈥渢he enrichment they need,鈥� one of the polls said. More than two-thirds of parents strongly (29 percent) or somewhat (41 percent) agree that schools should share student information securely with other youth organizations that offer services to their kids, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs and tutoring services.

The results are from two online polls on the attitudes of parents and teachers about student data that were conducted in May. The Harris Poll administered the survey on behalf of the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group the Data Quality Campaign, which champions smarter use of education data. (A short publication grouped together 鈥渟omewhat agree鈥� and 鈥渟trongly agree鈥� responses as single percentages of overall support; 社区黑料 relied on more detailed poll results that the Data Quality Campaign shared after a request.)

While 86 percent of teachers strongly or somewhat agree that using data is important for their jobs as educators, just 17 percent say they learned how to use data in their teacher preparation programs. Nor do teachers feel they鈥檙e given enough time to analyze the data they do have. More than 80 percent of teachers report 鈥渙ften鈥� using their own personal time to review student data for their teaching practices. (There is some dissent among teachers and the use of data: one-fifth either strongly or somewhat disagreed that using data to inform teaching practice is a valuable use of their time.)

Improving parents鈥� access to data allows them to become local activists, said Elizabeth Dabney, director of research at the Data Quality Campaign. At school board meetings, parents can demonstrate they鈥檙e knowledgeable about troubling student trends 鈥渢o hold leadership accountable for making the changes that are needed.鈥�

Meanwhile, strengthening data know-how among teachers can in turn empower parents, who often rely on teachers for early assessments about their children.

One problem with the data teachers receive about their students is that the information is rarely presented well and in a way that is 鈥渞eally useful in the moment,鈥� Dabney said. Teachers often have to calculate student data themselves, eating into precious hours that are also reserved for lesson planning, grading and other teaching demands.

Dabney pointed to Georgia and Massachusetts, where education officials have packaged student data for teachers more elegantly, allowing them to spot trends and provide added support for students who are likely to struggle.

惭补蝉蝉补肠丑耻蝉别迟迟蝉听 with the help of education research firm American Institutes for Research, which聽 in other states and districts. Its products flag students who show early warning signs associated with increased chances of dropping out, like those who miss 10 to 20 percent of school days, depending on the grade level. Another study that focused on just Ohio schools聽 failing more than one class or being suspended at least once were 鈥渟trong predictors of failure to graduate on time.鈥�

Georgia built a student record keeper state-level data to information about students collected by districts. The data portal brings together different pieces of information about a student鈥檚 past and current grades, attendance history and biographical details such as whether the student changes schools a lot. This virtual 鈥渢unnel,鈥� as some experts have called it, can tell a teacher if the student is reading at grade level or is struggling with certain content areas in math. The system can also allow teachers to use the information in the 鈥渢unnel鈥� to determine whether a student may be in need of special education services or can handle advanced material.

鈥淪o everything is right there in one place at the teacher’s fingertips,鈥� Dabney said.

Georgia officials offer the coding to their data system for free to other state education leaders who ask for it, Dabney added.

Not only are parents hungry for data that span their children鈥檚 education, but 81 percent were very (39 percent) or somewhat (42 percent) interested to see data about how schools educate students with backgrounds similar to their own kids. Despite this, more than 40 states do not provide information for at least one student group on federally mandated report cards,聽. Twenty-one states don鈥檛 break down data on these report cards by gender, flouting federal rules that have been on the books for nearly two decades requiring states to do just that. And 40 states don鈥檛 show data on teacher diversity, even though studies suggest that students of聽 when teachers look like them. Nationally, 80 percent of teachers are white, even though the聽 are nonwhite.

Meanwhile, it鈥檚 an open question as to whether parents are accessing these report cards. Although they live online, 鈥渟ometimes they are hard to find,鈥� Dabney said, adding that more schools and districts should strive to make these report cards available on mobile-enhanced sites for families who principally rely on smartphones for internet access. According to the U.S. Census, households with incomes聽 were more likely to rely on smartphones than on laptops or desktops for access.

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