Abstract

Educational leaders operate in an increasingly data-rich environment, where they are expected to make decisions that require sophisticated knowledge, skills, and practices with the use of data. Routinely, today' educational leaders grapple with what it means to draw data into decision-making processes in ways that are more systematic, relevant, and sufficiently nuanced to carry the weight of important decisions. This chapter puts forward conceptual and practical definitions of what we will call "ata-informed educational leadership,"illustrating ways in which data collection and use play out in intentional efforts to improve teaching and learning.1 We focus particularly on how these ideas play out in the work of school and district leadership, where data practices are embedded most directly in ongoing efforts to improve teaching and learning in schools.