Effective use of external agents to foster meaningful use of data by school districts

No Child Left Behind (2002) federal legislation required states to measure school effectiveness by examining student achievement. This research examined the ability of an external program to support school and district leadership teams in using data.;The objectives included determining the value for leadership teams of: establishing relationships; professional development about selecting and analyzing relevant data, instructional strategies to increase rigor, and developing school plans based on beliefs and values; school visitations; coaching; and county liaisons for leadership team to facilitate systemic efforts.;The fields of knowledge utilization research and cognitive science, as well as key works in motivation and organizational change were used as the research foundation.;Data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. A participant survey and focus group sessions were conducted at the end of the 2004-2005 school year. Descriptive statistics, t test for independent groups, and analysis of variance were employed for statistical analysis of survey data. Results were used to evaluate program success, recommend changes, and point to directions for further research.;Primary findings suggested that the support provider-school/district leadership team model for strengthening data use was effective but should be further developed. Primary recommendations for this and other external support providers, listed by research objective, include: (1) Districts must systemically support leadership team decision-making; professional development, and the outcomes for team decision-making when using and applying data at the school site should be planned and supported by district office with each leadership team individually; (2) Support provider liaisons must meet with each team before work begins to strengthen relationship foundations, build a shared understanding of leadership team roles, co-design program goals, and establish an ongoing coaching relationship; (3) Most of the professional development should be delivered at each school site, often to the entire school staff; (4) School visitations and report delivery must be tailored to individual school needs and planned from beginning to end with leadership and schools; (5) Coaching should be provided on-site after professional development; support providers must consistently assist teams in applying their collaborative reflection to their work to build habits of practice.