CNA Project Director Co-Edits Landmark Book On Use Of Data To Improve Education

Alexandria, Va. — CNA president and CEO Bob Murray today announced the release of the book Data-Driven School Improvement: Linking Data and Learning co-edited by CNA Senior Project Director, Ellen B. Mandinach, Ph.D.,

"This book finally brings insight and clarity to the great mystery of education reform in the era of No Child Left Behind, namely, understanding data and how to convert them into action to improve education in classrooms across America." Murray said.

A key component of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation requires educators to use evidence-based practices based on rigorous research. The problem in meeting this dictate, however, has been the inability of educators to glean information from the data being collected and, in turn, to develop meaningful programs and policies based on those insights.

"Up to now, it's been more an exercise of data gathering than of data analysis," explained Mandinach. "With this book we approached the issue by asking 'how do we help educators at all levels use data in most effective ways to inform practice?' By beginning to answer that question, we've taken a big step forward in meeting the demands, and promise, of NCLB."

The book provides a framework for data analysis based on a three-year project sponsored by the National Science Foundation, describing how data are transformed into usable knowledge, provides case studies illustrating how schools are using data to inform best practice, and offers suggestions for how digital resources can be used to improve teaching in the classroom and how schools, districts, and states can effectively use data for their decisions.

Twenty-nine researchers contributed to the 304-page work, which was developed in association with the Center for Children and Technology, Education Development Center, Inc., New York, NY. Margaret Honey a senior vice president with Wireless Generation, a Brooklyn-based software development company, served as the book's co-editor.

The book has been well received by education scholars and researchers, including Harvard University's Ellen Condliffe Lagemann who said "If you want to understand usable knowledge, read Data-Driven School Improvement. It brings together essays by some of the best people working on linking research to practice and clarifies the theories behind and the challenges involved in data-driven decision making."

"We're very pleased with the reception the book has received so far," Mandinach said. "People are finding it to be much more than an academic investigation and believe it will be a valuable resource in bringing substantive improvement to classrooms nationwide – and that's very gratifying."

To order a copy of "Data-Driven School Improvement: Linking Data and Learning call Teachers College Press at 800-575-6566 or visit http://store.tcpress.com/0807748560.shtml