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A resource supporting school and system leaders engaging in inquiry, measurement, and analysis
Whether looking to improve student learning, educator wellbeing, or community capacity, schools and districts need to measure something: the presence of a need, the perceptions of a group, the amount of growth over time, the efficacy of a new technology – the list goes on.
This measurement guide will help school and system leaders determine the effectiveness of their initiatives, programs, and interventions as well as engage in inquiry to identify needs and understand challenges in their context.
At The Learning Accelerator (TLA), we take a broad view of measurement and consider it an inquiry-based approach. This guide can be used to help identify a need, understand a problem of practice, determine whether a pilot should be taken to scale, or understand how the outcomes of programs and implementations are having (or have had) the desired effects.
We believe great measurement begins with centering equity – the intentional process of creating and sustaining just and fair conditions and systems that allow every individual to reach their full and unique potential – and is designed to be participatory in nature. To enable this, we encourage the following approaches:
Include the voices of multiple stakeholders (e.g., parents, students, community members) and proactively center the needs of subgroups historically positioned furthest from opportunity.
Take a mixed-methods approach. The collection and analysis of qualitative (i.e., texts, interviews, observations) and quantitative (i.e., numbers) data allow for a rich and deep understanding of the multiple perspectives and lived realities of stakeholders.
Use both culturally responsive and proximate measures. While we acknowledge the need to examine traditional academic measures such as test scores, we also encourage more near-term and sensitive tools that might capture concepts like belonging, identity, or confidence.
The bottom line is this: great measurement should surface what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
TLA has designed a step-by-step process that will help you determine if you are ready to embark on this journey, identify what is needed to design a manageable yet rigorous inquiry-based project, understand how to collect and analyze data, and determine ways to take the work forward in your community. We recommend that you initially navigate through this guide sequentially and then come back to the resources that feel most relevant to your work.
Getting Started: Set your purpose, objectives, and research questions to inform the design of your project.
Collect and Analyze: Determine the types of data you need, what and when to collect data, as well as how to analyze the data you gather.
Taking It Forward: Find strategies for effectively communicating and acting on your findings, determine concrete action steps, and identify solutions.
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