Editorial: Texas must apply for Obama's school data cash
August 3, 2009
Here's the latest in the data revolution, the Next Big Thing in education. This Obama administration proposal isn't something Texas Education Agency officials should turn up their nose at, either:
Written by Editorial, Dallas Morning News
Here's the latest in the data revolution, the Next Big Thing in education. This Obama administration proposal isn't something Texas Education Agency officials should turn up their nose at, either: President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced last month that states will gain access to $315 million in federal funds to expand their school data systems. Obama and Duncan rightly believe that giving teachers and principals access to real-time information about how students are doing can help them improve student performance. Districts may have good information, but schools can't get to it because it is "siloed" in a way that makes accessibility moot. The Dells are trying to change this by helping schools create more easily accessible data systems. The Obama proposal is a nice complement to that effort, so the TEA should be all over it. The state can draw down some of this money if it puts together a proposal. Good data systems help school districts train their teachers. Schools can use the information to analyze how individual classrooms work – or don't work. If the data show that a class is falling behind in a particular area of, say, math, the principal can work with the teacher on strategies to reach more kids. (Houston's school district used its data system to pinpoint the four lowest-performing math teachers. As it turns out, they were in one school, so the district was able to zero in on that school.) The data revolution is about giving schools the tools they need to better manage their work. Orlando Riddick, W.T. White High School's principal, explains how he once received data about his school in paper reports. Now, data flow quickly online, giving him an instant snapshot. None of this New Big Thing makes sense if it doesn't help students realize their potential. But that's what's exciting about Obama's proposal. Top-notch data systems allow teachers to better identify a student's strengths. With that information in hand, they can then help them achieve at higher levels. For students from disadvantaged families, which we have no shortage of in Texas, this can be the ticket out of poverty. Go for it, Austin. The deadline for an application is in October. It would be foolish to leave this money on the table.
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