Article: Misconceptions about data-based decision making in education: An exploration of the literature
Publication: Studies in Educational Evaluation
Publisher: Elsevier
Publication Date: January 23, 2020
Authors: Ellen Mandinach and Kim Schildkamp
Related WestEd Program: Learning Innovations

WestEd’s Ellen Mandinach and Kim Schildkamp of University of Twente, Netherlands served as editors of a special issue of Studies in Educational Evaluation that brings together cutting-edge work on data-driven decision-making.

Their contribution to the journal, Misconceptions about data-based decision making in education: An exploration of the literature, reviews the landscape of data-driven decision-making, a growing field in education.

To better understand common misconceptions about the topic, researchers convened a session at AERA’s 2018 annual convention, followed by an analysis of the literature. This article captures the issues raised in that convening and provides relevant research that either confirms or dispels these misconceptions.

Mandinach and Schildkamp hope this survey and synthesis serves as a stimulus to changes in policy and practice as well as a roadmap for a research agenda.

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Ellen Mandinach is a leading expert in data-driven decision-making, focusing on understanding how educators are using data to inform practice. She serves as Senior Research Scientist and Director of WestEd’s Data for Decisions Initiative.