District Data Leaders
Each year the Data Quality Campaign Recognition Program highlights the critical role of leadership in changing the culture around data use for continuous improvement. Below are the award recipients for the District Data Leader of the Year award.
Congratulations 2009 Award Recipient
Peter Gorman, Superintendent, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (North Carolina)
Fostering a culture that uses data for continuous improvement
Superintendent Peter Gorman’s combined business and education leadership style was a powerful motivator in advancing the use of data in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). On CMS’s website Superintendent Gorman states that “all of us at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools want our district to be open and transparent to our parents, our students and the community at large – and this new site is part of that effort.” Superintendent Gorman has focused on the use of data for teacher effectiveness measures and instructional use in the classroom. Data is also a key element in the district’s use of School Quality Reviews, which are conducted by trained experts who identify a school’s strengths and weaknesses, which are then incorporated into each school’s improvement plan. He has instituted a robust partnership with the Data Wise Institute to train data coaches, principals and key teacher leaders spanning the majority of middle and high schools in the district. In addition, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Broad Foundation have recognized his efforts by investing in the district’s performance management system that currently supports dashboards for districts and schools.
For more information, view the press release.
2008 Award Recipient
Joe Kitchens, Superintendent, Western Heights Public Schools, Oklahoma
Almost 10 years after being highlighted by Bill Gates in Business @ the Speed of Thought as creating "perhaps the leading technology-driven curriculum in the country," Western Heights Public Schools is again leading the country in building and using technology and data systems to improve student achievement. As superintendent of Western Heights Public Schools, Joe Kitchens has transformed his district into a continually improving organization that is informed by real-time, accurate data. A data-driven decision making culture is now infused throughout the management of the district, to the teaching process and even to the athletic program.
Joe Kitchens was spotlighted in Education Week on June 3, 2009 in the article Leading the Charge for Real-Time Data.
Oklahoma's work was highlighted at a Data Quality Campaign Quarterly Issue Meeting in October 2008. A corresponding PowerPoint presentation and policy brief highlight district best practices around data-driven decision-making including data collection, management and analysis, culture, and implementation.
2007 Award Recipient
John Weant, Director of Information and Communication Systems, Charlotte County Public Schools, Florida
John provided the leadership and decision making necessary to make the necessary changes to automate much of the data submission and validation processes in the district's data system. By implementing the processes needed to ensure data quality, the schools and the district now save money, are no longer behind on data submissions and have been able to redirect resources to other high priority work.
2006 Award Recipient
Dr. Terrence Young, Chief Information Officer, Guilford County Schools, North Carolina
Dr. Young is a leader in using longitudinal data to inform district decision-making and improve education and learning. He is constantly analyzing student data in new and different ways in an effort to help educators improve student achievement.