WHEN TEACHERS SHARE DATA — MEANINGFUL INFORMATION — ON STUDENTS’ LEARNING IT:

• Adds to their understanding of students
• Shows the impact of their teaching, to share publicly
• Helps justify their teaching strategies, explaining not only what takes place in the classroom, but how it makes a difference for kids.

STEPS TO GET THIS GOING:

• Consider information that would help with your teaching, and that would inform others about its power. Check out existing research on your question.
• Plan a research strategy that is doable, and that will give you the sort of useful information that you need.
• Document evidence and observations you gather, and save evidence such as student papers.
• Share results with other teachers and administrators as well as with parents and the wider community.
• Use the information to help support specific advocacy or more general reporting on your work.

Tell us your stories about how information on students helped explain your work.