Data and Continuous Learning

Back to State of Education Address - January 22, 2008

Context

Throughout California, exceptional teachers, principals and administrators continue to demonstrate remarkable progress in local situations.  Yet we still lack the mechanisms to study and learn from their success.  This must change before we can continuously improve our educational system. In short, we need a data system that helps educators at every level across the state use information about what has occurred in the past to make better decisions about how to support our students in future.

Given this background, we believe that improving our data infrastructure should be a high priority if we want to enable teachers, principals, superintendents and legislators to make better information-based decisions. Imagine the power of more personalized education for each student based on robust, easily available data on that student’s needs and performance. Imagine a world where a few keystrokes help teachers share best practices in specific subjects, adopt innovative approaches to improving students’ critical reasoning, or apply creative mechanisms to engage both students and parents, all without massive new time investments.  Imagine a world where state policymakers can link student outcomes, not just compliance, but to specific program investments. Finally, imagine if we are united by a common vision of an information system that would support continuous improvement in student outcomes across the state, districts and local schools.

With generous funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger are engaging with a broad set of stakeholders in the education, business, policymaking and non-profit communities in order to:

• Create a shared vision for how California’s education system can become a continuously learning environment in which student outcomes are improving more and more rapidly over time.
• Identify what additional information we need to collect as well as the design and technology required for a powerful, cost-effective data system.
• Develop a roadmap for implementing the technology and fostering its use.

Project Description

A. Create a vision for a continuously learning and improving California education system

Continuous learning is a hallmark of successful organizations. In practice this often translates into an intense focus on innovation, robust data and information systems, and best practice sharing. The project team, with input from an Advisory Council, will collaborate to set a vision for a continuously learning and improving education system in which student outcomes are improving more and more rapidly over time. We will develop a paper, to be delivered by summer of 2008, that establishes a vision for a quality data system and the importance of data-based decision-making based on input from experts across the state.

B. Identify what additional information we need to collect as well as the design and technology required for a powerful, cost-effective data system

• Creating a powerful system to help all educators make better data-based decisions starts by knowing what we have now and what gaps we have to close. With that understanding we will then develop a future state blueprint that best delivers on our most critical needs. 
• To achieve this we will first examine CDE’s current system through a combination of existing information, e.g., from the Data Quality Campaign, CALPADS and CALTIDES plans, and a very detailed examination of the current systems, capabilities and technologies.  This will help determine what the present IT systems offer, how people view and use data, what additional data is necessary and what skills different groups possess in terms of data analysis and interpretation. Both educational data (across P-20) and non-educational data (e.g., social services, welfare, juvenile correction) will be covered.
• After carefully reviewing these findings, we will then identify what technologies – new or old – both meet people’s needs and are feasible. The final recommendation will describe the future system and steps needed to support its use (e.g., training, access). It will explain how the system meets local school, district and state policymaker needs,  include proposals for support tools and programs for high priority opportunities and identify processes and governance for updating and maintaining data on a regular basis (e.g., data stewardship council).

C. Develop a roadmap for implementing the changes 

Based on the fact-based analysis described above, the project team will develop a step-by-step rollout plan for investments, coupled with professional development, designed to provide the greatest benefit. Each separate recommendation will provide timing and cost estimates, as well as describe the key benefits.

Team Structure

McKinsey & Company has been engaged as advisors in the process. We are excited to be working with McKinsey because of their expertise in the areas we are tackling and their record for impact in public and private sector organizations.   

Throughout the project, the team will be guided by the principle that the key to success is engaging a broad set of external stakeholders, constituents, and experts to guide, debate and refine perspectives. We will have an Advisory Council that will be comprised of a wide cross-section of leaders across the education, business, state policymakers, foundations and non-profit communities. This broad expertise will be critical to achieving practical recommendations that will help us all create the conditions for better student outcomes in California.