Step Two: Diagnosing the Need for Change
Having gotten the message that change is necessary from both the federal and state levels, it is up to districts and schools to carefully assess their strengths and weaknesses and decide which new strategies will be most effective. This can be done by conducting a data-driven needs assessment, a process that is primarily carried out at the school site with important direction and support from district leadership. As Jan O'Neill argues on the tapes, using data to hold people accountable is a critical crossroads for education. Analyzing data on all aspects of the school helps school faculty understand:
- The specifics of student performance by different content areas and different topics within each academic subject
- How performance differs by race, income, and gender
- The specifics of student attendance and mobility
- What parents think about the school
Undergoing such a comprehensive assessment process often takes up to a full year.
Such a data analysis exercise also produces two other elements that support school change. The first is school ownership of the data and the conclusions that are made. Whatever the strengths and weaknesses of the school, they are identified and described by the faculty during this data analysis process. Second, the process creates a thorough and detailed understanding of the school that allows the faculty to better match new educational strategies with the actual needs of the school.
