Julie Drewery of the Roanoke City Public Schools and I are proposing to speak at South by Southwest Education on the effective use of data to improve graduation rates. If you think this could be an interesting topic, please vote: http://panelpicker.sxswedu.com/ideas/view/14063
Description:
Members of public school communities utilize data to drive decision and policy making on a daily basis. The big question is: Do students, teachers, administrators, and/or parents need more data, or is the essential need to understand how to harness data to make better decisions and continuously improve?
We will first establish a model of how actions and attributes become data and how that data becomes information. Algorithms can transform information that information to propagate decisions and actions. The whole information system then provides a virtuous feedback loop upon which sound decisions are made.
Next, we will examine how Roanoke City Public Schools designed and implemented a digital dashboard system to increase graduation rates. We will examine how the design process, implementation, and current use have produced both higher academic achievement and higher graduation rates.
Finally, we will present a checklist of how to use education dashboards to affect student achievement and guide policy making in your own school, college, or district.
Questions Answered:
- How do you take district-wide data, consolidate it, and report it to clearly indicate what actions or decisions need to be taken?
- How is data being used to reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates?
- What is the implementation process and schedule from decision to implantation to results for digital dashboards?
- What is the process to get all concerned parties aboard a digital dashboard system?
- What are the differences between an early warning system and a performance enhancement system?
Julie Drewry's Background
Julie A. Drewry, Ph.D., has been a public school educator for the past 19 years. She taught high school mathematics for 12 years, during which she earned National Board Certification. She has also been an assistant principal, a director of a regional school for science and mathematics, and a K-12 mathematics supervisor. Dr. Drewry is currently the Executive Director for 6-12 Instruction for Roanoke City Public Schools and an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech.
Dr. Drewry did research at Virginia Tech on the experiences of high school dropouts from a social capital perspective. This intense research experience and her experiences at the high school level have fueled her passion to identify at-risk behaviors of the students. In addition, she works with a team of student support specialists, counselors, and administrators to deal with the behaviors in a deliberate manner in order to make it possible for all students to progress towards graduation.
Hope to see you there!
