Getting Excited About Data: How to Combine People, Passion, and Proof

By Edie L. Holcomb

Book Overview

"This book will become your dog-eared, color-tabbed, yellow-highlighted bible. The suggestions are practical, relevant, and easy to use. Fast-paced and fun. I couldn′t wait to try the activities."

Sandra L. Sorrell, Director
Poudre School District, Fort Collins, Colorado

"Here is practical knowledge about how to focus on student learning. Provides tools educators desperately need and accompanies them with strategies and helpful hints. Engaging stories make the reading entertaining as well as informative."

Deborah H. McDonald, Kentucky Distinguished Educator
Kentucky Department of Education

"Demystifies the process of using data to guide decision making at the school level. A most useful resource for administrators and teachers because it provides step-by-step guidance."

Richard A. Rossmiller, Emeritus Professor of Educational Administration
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Getting Excited About Data

outlines a process for showing how well your school or district meets its primary goal: sustained student learning. Holcomb helps you find the answers to these tough questions about data: What data do we need and how do we collect it? How do we analyze and report the data we collect? What do we do to make sure current findings ensure school improvement in the next round? How can we sustain staff passion for teaching and learning while devoting time to generating proof of what we say we′re accomplishing?

This book is for all educators who want to become proactive and responsive to the communities they serve. Holcomb shows you exactly how to prove to your school′s constituents that you′re succeeding in your most important challenge--continued and sustained student achievement.

Learn to raise your comfort and interest levels with gathering, documenting, and using data. Get ready to use data to point the way to needed next steps in improving learning and teaching in your school. Holcomb gives you the tools to add documentation to good intuition.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080396739X
• ISBN13: 9780803967397
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Corwin
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.3" x 8.8" x 0.5"
• Age Range: 6 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 12

Customer Reviews

Getting Excited About Data

This is an especially useful book for leaders of school improvement teams in elementary and secondary schools. Holcomb presents techniques for using student achievement data to generate enthusiasm for school improvement. Data analysis for monitoring the success of the school improvement plan is also a featured area within the book. Many practical techniques to use data analysis with school and community groups are provided. The presentation of this material alleviates some fears felt by people who seem apprehensive about data analysis. The style is informal with many personal anecdotes that ease the way into a discussion of data management.