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Creating a Culture of Data Use for Continuous Improvement: A Case Study of an Edison Project School

In this article, I outline how, with the appropriate mix of external requirements and internal motivation, structure and capacity, a school can promote and maintain a culture of evaluative practices, specifically data use, for continuous improvement. I draw upon qualitative data conducted in a study of an Edison Project school. The findings from this paper are the result of a larger 4-year study examining Comprehensive School Reform in 12 Title 1 schools in three states. Interviews were conducted with principals, teachers, other staff, parents and students, as well as with state officials, the superintendent, assistant superintendent and other high level administrators in the district. Observations were undertaken at the classroom level. Key findings include the importance of obtaining a multidimensional view of educational change. That is, we need to obtain a picture of the school reform environment (i.e., interconnections between the state, district, and school levels), and simultaneously investigate the interplay among critical school levers that are required to promote and maintain a culture of data use for school improvement. From this multidimensional view, we are better positioned to investigate and evaluate school change efforts.