Data driven decision-making refers to the dissection of numerous data in order to make vital decisions when it comes to school operations, students and teachers. Despite the fact that data collection has been done by schools for lots of decades, the practice has become common over the last 5 years since district schools have realized the power of data in the promotion of school improvement. Data driven decision-making has been credited with the enhancement of curriculum, promotion of parental involvement and even in reducing gaps between different student populations. The data driven decision-making process involves the collection of appropriate data, getting the data to the right individuals and using the data as an advantage in making major improvements in the education sector. It additional it is important to analyse the data and utilise the data in making appropriate decisions that will impact operations and outcome of processes.
Hardware, software and human wares or people are very important during data driven decision-making processes (Lasley, 2010). This is because the hardware and software requirements determine the nature of the database design and specifications and also drive decisions regarding the hardware and software that will best achieve the integrated data strategy. Software and hardware are important in data driven decision-making processes because they comprise of elements like network communications, servers, user interfaces, data mapping, programming environments and computer operating systems, which can be chosen in order to support a given integrated system (Lasley, 2010).
People are also important in data driven decision support making because they aid in the setting of various responsibilities for both the management and administration of the databases, which are integrated (Lasley, 2010). People are important because they implement the final process of the data driven decision-making process through identification of the people who will manage the development of the database, procurement, system administration and even in the general management and maintenance of the database. Therefore, the importance of people in the entire process is the formulation and implementation of any strategic requirement that brings into consideration utilisation of data towards making appropriate decisions.
Data driven decision-making applications are important in enrolment projections because they can help educational institutions to ascertain the number of enrolled students in the institution and determine enough resources to cater for their needs (Lasley, 2010). On the other hand, data driven decision-making applications are important in enhancing or improving learning and teaching since they can be used in the ranking system of students and even allocate various subject to the teachers. Data driven decision-making applications can also be used in teaching and learning through integration of other Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools to provide efficient learning to learners. Data driven decision-making applications can also be used in surveying the school community by helping ascertain the number of workers and various stakeholders in an organization. It can also be used in getting the statistics regarding a school community (Lasley, 2010).
Therefore, employing the numerous applications associated with information technology and data analysis, an institution is able to allocate tasks and resources to relevant stakeholders.
Out of the three given examples of data- driven decision making recommendations, one that deals in the enhancement or improvement of learning and teaching needs to be improved or enhanced. This is because comprehending and using data regarding the school and the performance of the students is critical towards the improvement of the schools. However, most schools rarely use vital data in their decision-making processes and lose the benefits associated with data based decisions. This means that an institution is better placed when they employ data based decision in making decisions that impact in operations of the institution.
- Lasley, T. (2010). Handbook of data-based decision making in education. New York: Routledge.
