NCLB and Data Driven Learning Decisions: The Connection

In our increasingly wired / wireless world of computers, PDA's and Internet access in homes, schools, business, and libraries. Entire learning communities of students, educators and parents are able to accesse resources, view information, and communicate with one another in ways that were never imaged.

As schools begin to grapple with the challenges of this connected information rich learning community where they are the 'defacto' hub; ability for teachers, principles, and administrators to make real time, objective, data-driven, learning decisions will be critical! However ...

- Where does one start?

- What are the incentives?

- How do you overcome the cultural barriers were data was historically used for 'finger pointing', rather than proactive analysis?

- How is real-time access provided through the school / district / community?

The answer can be found by 'peeking in the rearview mirror' and taking a lesson that was learned in business in the late 1980's ...

The Dawning of the Education Enterprise

Business leaders, just like education leaders, were burried in data! Data that was housed in numerous 'proprietary' systems or 'Islands of Data'. Companies were reengineering and 'downsizing' be forced to do more with less, accountability was greater than ever but yet the data that was needed to make 'timely' informed decisions was not available!

Companies quickly realized that the answer to this crisis could be found through 'intelligently' applying technology to focus on and increase 'operational productivity'. The 'Islands of Information' became connected via LAN/WAN topologies. New standards-based, open, knowledge management systems became the 'glue' that allowed the information to be easily mined to produce knowledge. Decsions were now pro-active, informed, accurate, and made by the individual closest to the problem.

NCLB legislation, with it's fundemental underpinning of scientifically-based research, realized the importance that real-time objective data driven learning decisions can have on the learning efficiency of the Education Enterprise. An environment where student data is abundent and the ability to intelligently and pro-actively mine this data will become the foundation for making informed, objective, real-time learning decisions and communications for ALL students.

The New Knowledge Warehouse

One of the key components to successful NCLB implementation must therefore be the utilization of technology. However, not technology for technology sake, but the intelligent application of new standards-based, 'open', SIF compliant, knowledge / learning management systems that can provide the transparent 'glue' between ALL data repositories within the Educational Enterprise. A strawman depiction is exhibited below:

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