**Love, N. (2009). Building a high-performing data culture. In N. Love (Ed.), Using data to improve learning for all: A collaborative inquiry approach (pp. 2–24). Corwin Press. https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-assets/27678_book_item_27678.pdf
In this opening chapter of her book, Love argues that simply having data in schools is insufficient; what matters is going from having data to having meaningful, sustained improvement in teaching and student learning. The process she champions is collaborative inquiry, in which educators use multiple data sources and work together to systematically ask questions such as “Who isn’t learning?”, “What might be causing that?”, “What can we do differently?”, and “How will we know if it worked?”. The data culture needed to support such inquiry includes distributed leadership, teacher teams collaborating regularly, frequent and deep use of varied data, and a constant focus on instructional improvement. Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) will share how they are using a similar process with their principals during the first day of our meeting.
Data Quality Campaign. (n.d.). Administrator data literacy fosters student success. https://dataqualitycampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/DQC-Admin-Data-Literacy-08102018.pdf
School leaders play a critical role in turning data into meaningful action. This brief outlines why administrators need strong data skills to guide instructional decisions, allocate resources, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. It emphasizes practical strategies such as professional learning, data protocols, and collaborative inquiry to ensure data informs policies and classroom practices. Investing in administrator capacity is a key lever for NVUSD to improve outcomes for every student.
Hamilton, L., Halverson, R., Jackson, S. S., Mandinach, E., Supovitz, J. A., & Wayman, J. C. (2009). Using student achievement data to support instructional decision making (NCEE 2009-4067). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Available on Dropbox.
This guide offers recommendations for using student achievement data to inform instruction and reviews the evidence behind each. At the time of publication (over 15 years ago), research was limited for all five recommendations. The authors provide practical steps educators can take to implement each even with the gaps in evidence. Although the guide is older, its core ideas remain relevant for educators seeking to use data effectively in classrooms. For the purposes of our meeting, please read the Introduction and Overview sections (pages 1–9).
**This document is a priority reading.