Data literacy is a critical part of effective teaching, and as the proliferation of data increases, the ethical use of data must be a focus for teachers.

“For teachers, using data ethically—in a way that’s mindful of their responsibility to keep individual student information private—is a requirement of using data effectively,” states a recently published Phi Delta Kappan magazine article, “Ethical and Appropriate Data Use Requires Data Literacy.”

The article’s authors, including lead author Ellen Mandinach of WestEd, define data literacy as “the ability to transform information into actionable instructional knowledge and practices by collecting, analyzing, and interpreting all types of data (assessment, school climate, behavioral, snapshot, longitudinal, moment-to-moment, etc.) to help determine instructional steps. It combines an understanding of data with standards, disciplinary knowledge and practices, curricular knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and an understanding of how children learn.”

Teachers must not only explain the value of data to parents and the community but also demonstrate that they only and always use information in the best interest of students.

Read the article abstract.

Mandinach is a leading expert in data-driven decision making, focusing on understanding how educators are using data to inform practice. At WestEd, she serves as Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Data for Decisions Initiative (DDI).

Mandinach’s fellow authors on the Kappan piece are former WestEd staff member Edith Gummer, and DDI partners Brennan Parton and Rachel Anderson.