Case Studies – Cross analysis
The five case studies constitute five unique examples of initiatives, at school and at teacher level, that leverage data for decision-making, school improvement, and/or monitoring students’ attainment. Examined as a whole, patterns emerge across all cases:
Digital infrastructure as a cornerstone:
Each initiative presented relies on specific digital tools and platforms, such as the OrKa platform in Slovenia, the Data Warehouse interface in Malta, or the ad hoc survey page in the ITT Marconi school. For data to be used efficiently, it must be processed and analysed - and digital infrastructure (both software and hardware) becomes essential. AI-powered tools can be useful in this aspect, especially for visualising the data.
Collaboration as a framework:
The meaningful use of data is tightly linked to collaboration between multiple stakeholders: from school leadership to teachers. In some cases, collaboration with national education authorities and with students was needed as well. The cases from Italy and from Slovenia demonstrate that trust among all actors is fundamental for these initiatives to succeed, particularly when data is used in contexts related to merit, evaluation and the improvement of teaching practices.
Context as a pillar:
It is well established that data lacks meaning without context, and the same applies to these initiatives. Using data without its context for decision-making is at best imprudent, at worst unethical. All five of these cases demonstrate the importance of placing data in its context and linking data points to contextual information. In Malta, for instance, attendance data is linked to demographic and background information; the Croatian teachers linked the conclusions from the data to their knowledge of the students, etc.
School improvement as a goal
The five initiatives ultimately aimed to improve processes and performance at school. This shows the relevance of data to inform decision-making, and to impact teachers’ and staff’s professional growth. In the Greek school, for instance, discussions were held based on the data to identify professional development needs. In the Italian school, the principal uses the data to identify support needs among their staff.
These patterns reveal the key elements for an initiative to be likely to succeed. However, common challenges arise:
- Workload burden: the interviewees agreed that adopting the initiatives and developing the necessary skills to carry them out required an additional effort. While in the long term the return on investment is positive, the initial cost remains high.
- Technical requirements: if developing such initiatives necessitates digital infrastructure, meeting the technical requirements at school level can be a demanding challenge. Schools require reliable infrastructure and, most importantly, the “know-how”: skills in data analysis, processing and interpretation, as well as data ethics.
- Data literacy gap: the Mapping Report of this project found that most national strategies for data literacy in education are not accompanied by consistent efforts to develop data literacy. This is made evident through the case studies, in which schools stress the necessity of developing data literacy on their own initiative or, in the case from Croatia, where is no support for developing these skills. Stronger policy alignment and institutional support at both school and national levels are key to enabling more systematic and effective data literacy initiatives.
- Ethical concerns: handling sensitive data, as is the case in schools, requires attention to ethical principles and regard to safety. While schools are aware of this and demonstrate a great deal of competence in this area, further support and information are needed from outside the school.
The above cross-analysis allows us to put forward five key recommendations for schools and education authorities looking to put forward their own data literacy initiatives. Further insights can be found in the case studies.
contextualised and ethical data-informed decision making necessitates human oversight; in other words, initiatives must include discussion and reflection at school level involving different stakeholders. This makes the conclusions extracted from the data meaningful, and the decisions taken relevant to improving students’ attainment and teachers’ performance.
successful initiatives require data literate staff at school. It is therefore essential that both teachers and leadership receive sustained support to develop data literacy skills, importantly including elements of data ethics and online safety.
triangulating data sets makes data-driven insights more impactful and practical. Initiatives must contemplate the integration of different data sets to obtain a comprehensive view of the issue targeted. Attention: this does not mean that data must be collected about every and any aspect!
for initiatives to stand the test of time, they must ensure that staff are ready to support them and to leverage their conclusions. Initiatives become truly impactful when they are also used as a motor for professional reflection and development, which necessitates openness and collaboration, as well as a safe and supportive school culture.
Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a data literacy initiative. It is important to understand that it takes time to develop the necessary infrastructure and skills to implement an initiative, but also to raise awareness among the community. Planning for the introduction of these projects must be paced and adjusted to the realities of schools.