An evolving data wise culture (DWC)

A case study

Abstract

Data-informed instructional decision-making has evolved into an essential process
in schools. This feature has not been fully reflected in the school culture
constructs developed to date. To reflect this feature, this study examines the
extent to which a data-wise culture (DWC) exists in schools and test if the
construct that reflects such a culture can be measured. The study finds that there
was such a culture existing in the schools in one district. The reliability of the
construct DWC was high, indicating that the construct could be a unique variable
that deserves further exploration. The DWC survey can be used to evaluate how
well school leaders influence school conditions that foster data analysis in
schools. This paper calls for the revisit of those cultural variables that have been
developed to date in the field of educational leadership to reflect the new feature
of data use in schools.