Assessing the Educational Data Movement

For better or worse, many educational decisions that were once handled on a personal level by teachers or administrators now increasingly rely upon data and information. To be successful in this era, educators need to understand this broad sociotechnical revolution and how it is realigning traditional roles and responsibilities. In this book, the author draws on his unique background in learning sciences, education policy, and information systems to provide valuable insights for both policy and practice. The text discusses many current topics, including technology-rich methods for teacher evaluation, big data and analytics, longitudinal data systems, open educational resources, blended and personalized learning models, and new designs for teaching.

This comprehensive book:

• Examines the social and historical context of the educational data movement as it unfolds across educational levels.
• Synthesizes different research traditions from inside and outside of education.
• Assesses the successes, challenges, and potential of data analytics. 
• Helps educators and innovators design technology-rich solutions for greater student success.
• Discusses the catalytic role that foundations have played in making education a more informational and evidence-based practice.

Philip J. Piety works at the intersection of education and information systems. His doctoral degree is in Learning Sciences from the University of Michigan and he is currently teaching in the Decisions, Operations, and Information Technology at the Robert H. Smith School of Business and a founding member of the Education Innovation with Information Initiative (EI2) at the University of Maryland.

"Phil Piety's book employs insights from the learning sciences to illuminate policies and practices for using information to improve American education."
—Roy Pea, Stanford University

“This critically important book highlights what constitutes the educational data movement, describing the vernacular of what every education researcher, practitioner, and policymaker needs to be aware of.”
—Barbara Schneider, president, American Educational Research Association, 2013–2014.

“Everyone who wants to gain a better understanding of how data is transforming education should read this book. Piety’s analysis is comprehensive and covers every dimension of the American education system. He impressively connects the dots among the numerous institutions and actors that comprise the data movement. This book is a triumph.”
—Darrell West, vice president and director of the Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution

“Piety brings a fresh perspective to ‘the educational data movement,’ situating its emergence historically, linking it to developments in various institutional fields, and framing it as a ‘sociotechnical revolution.’ Essential reading! Both proponents and opponents of the ‘data movement’ will learn from this book.” —James P. Spillane, Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Professor in Learning & Organizational Change, Northwestern University