Chapter 12: Using Data and Supporting Data Use: The Case of Power Block

Perhaps no reform movement in the field of education has gained more popular attention than “data-driven decision making” (Coburn & Turner, 2012). While the use of data to inform educational practice is not a new phenomenon, it is only recently that the construct itself has become the subject of scholarly attention and analysis (Gamson, 2007). From how-to guidebooks and manuals (Anderson, Leithwood, & Strauss, 2010; Bam-brick-Santoyo, 2010; Goldring & Berends, 2008) to data-driven instructional frameworks (Ikemoto & Marsh, 2007; Mandinach & Honey, 2008), scholarly work in this area has begun to highlight the ways in which principals can engage in instructional leadership by supporting the development and implementation of data-driven instructional programs (Copland, 2003; Knapp, Swinnerton, Copland, & Monpas-Huber, 2006).