District Administrators

Introduction

Longitudinal data - high-quality data about how individual students perform over time- gives administrators the resources and information to effectively and efficiently manage. Districts throughout the nation are inundated with data: state and district test results, attendance data, disciplinary data, and demographic data—just to name a few. Although collect¬ing better data is essential, knowing how to analyze and apply this information is just as important. Valid, transparent, and meaningful data are the foundation of any district’s ability to target and develop strategies to improve student achievement, and a district’s capacity to provide the structures and processes for the collection, analysis, and utilization of student data is pivotal to the success of students in the classroom.

The Suggested Reading List to the right provides several resources that are particularly relevant to policymakers and their role building, using, and sustaining longitudinal data systems. Other suggested ways of navigating the library include:

• Select your state in the Browse by State tool to view resources pertaining to your state specifically.
• As you come across topics that you are interested in learning more about, search by keywords in Search Resources or by topic in Browse by Topic to get a better national picture.
• If you know your state is working hard to develop the ten essential elements and you’re struggling with particular elements, use the Browse by 10 Essential Elements to find resources targeted at specific elements.