Teachers Know Best: Making Data Work for Teachers and Students
This is a follow-up study to an initial Teachers Know Best report, released in 2014, that attempted to share with educators and product developers detailed information about how K-12 teachers and students view digital instructional tools as a whole. The purpose of this second study provides information about the unmet needs of teachers and students and utilizes the voice of educators to identify areas in which focused product development could more effectively support their needs. The study also provides information on data use, a crucial component in personalized learning. Over 4,600 teachers from a nationally representative sample were surveyed about their use of data to drive instruction and the use of these tools, and were asked to report on their behaviors, beliefs, and specific occasions in which they use data to guide student learning. In addition, the study included qualitative research in innovative schools that are at the forefront of personalizing learning for students, as well as in more traditional public schools.
This research report, reflecting teachers’ insights about the use of data and digital tools to shape instruction, is well designed with pictures and graphics making its information easy and pleasurable to access. Within its content it provides graphical examples of how and where digital tools can assist with data-driven instructional practice. It concludes with recommendations for product developers, teachers, school leaders, and funders on how data and data systems can be improved and provided for greater impact and use.
For a video and reader-friendly synopsis of the report, visit the Teachers Know Best website.