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Data Literacy for Educators: Making It Count in Teacher Preparation and Practice

By Ellen Mandinach, Edith Gummer

Cover for Data Literacy for Educators: Making It Count for Teacher Preparation and Practice

Description

As teaching continues to evolve into an evidence-based profession, data literacy has become an essential skill for educators. Teachers, from the brand new to the seasoned professional, must understand how to use data to inform — and improve — their teaching practice.

This resource, cowritten by Ellen Mandinach, Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Data for Decisions Initiative at WestEd, provides educators with concrete strategies for building a bridge between data literacy and teaching practice.

Mandinach and coauthor Edith Gummer:

  • Introduce the concept of data literacy for teaching and outline the knowledge and skills it encompasses
  • Use examples and case studies that tie theory to practice
  • Provide a roadmap for incorporating data literacy into teacher preparation program curricula
  • Cover emerging trends, such as virtual and hybrid courses and massive open online courses

The authors also address the intrinsic complexities and possible challenges educators may face in their efforts to integrate data literacy into the classroom.

 

Resource Details

Product Information

ISBN: 978-0-8077-5753-6
Copyright: 2016
Format: Trade Paper
Pages: 176
Publisher: Teachers College Press

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Praise for this Resource

  • “This thoughtful, well-organized book raises the challenges that beginning and experienced teachers face in becoming more data literate to increase their pedagogical effectiveness in their classrooms.”

    Barbara Schneider, Michigan State University (From the Foreword)

  • “While many share the goal of improving data literacy across our education system, this book provides insight into how this might be done. Deans of colleges of education, practicing teachers, education advocates, and many others will find useful information here.”

    Benjamin Riley, Deans for Impact

  • “Mandinach and Gummer transform an overused cliché into an incisive analysis, a comprehensive integration, and a plan for action. They examine what and how teachers must learn about data so that they can act with both expertise and integrity. This work should join the ‘common core’ of teacher education and professional development programs.”

    Lee S. Shulman, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  • “Collecting data doesn’t change anything in education. The authors lay out a compelling call to action to ensure that every teacher in this country has the skills, knowledge, and disposition in knowing how to use data to inform effective teaching. Only when our teachers are data literate and have the conditions and capacity to use data well will we truly unlock the power of data to personalize learning and increase student achievement for every child in this country.”

    Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Data Quality Campaign