Collecting and Using Data in Schools

Regular Irreal readers have probably figured out that I’m a data freak. I’m always collecting, tabulating, and analyzing data about myself and the things around me. That’s one of the reasons I found the use of digital methods in hospitals so fascinating.

It turns out that some schools have also begun collecting and analyzing data. According to the article, custodians are even collecting information about how much dirt they find under bathroom sinks. Of course, most of the data is about students and their performance. The idea is to provided feedback to students on their progress and to teachers on which teaching methods work and how well their students are learning the material. You can read the article to see some of the ways the data is being used.

Even though I’m a self-confessed data geek, I’m not sure how I feel about this. There are, of course, privacy and security issues. A good general rule, I think, is that any data collection by the government of citizens should be presumed suspect and subject to careful scrutiny. Those issues aside, some parents are against the data collection because of presumed effects on the children.

Concerns about adverse effects on the students are probably overblown but I remember thinking that standardized testing as a means of measuring student progress seemed like a good idea. We all know how that turned out so it’s wise to proceed carefully.

What I find interesting about the program is that it’s another example of how collecting actual data enables you to make much better decisions than depending on intuition or anecdotal evidence. It will be interesting to see if more schools begin adopting these methods.

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