The Data-Driven School: Collaborating to Improve Student Outcomes

This indispensable practitioner's guide helps to build the capacity of school psychologists, administrators, and teachers to use data in collaborative decision making. It presents an applied, step-by-step approach for creating and running effective data teams within a problem-solving framework. The authors describe innovative ways to improve academic and behavioral outcomes at the individual, class, grade, school, and district levels. Applications of readily available technology tools are highlighted. In a large-size format for easy photocopying, the book includes learning activities and helpful reproducible forms. The companion website provides downloadable copies of the reproducible forms as well as Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, and an online-only chapter on characteristics of effective teams.

This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by Sandra M. Chafouleas.

Daniel M. Hyson, PhD, NCSP, is Assistant Professor in the School Psychology Graduate Program at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. Previously, Dr. Hyson was a school psychologist in Minnesota public schools. He then served as Data Management Coordinator for Hiawatha Valley Education District, a consortium of 13 school districts in southeastern Minnesota. In that role, he consulted with teachers and administrators to help them access, interpret, and use data from academic and behavioral assessments to improve instruction for all students. Dr. Hyson's research interests include teacher–student relationships and their association with student engagement and achievement, and the school psychologist’s role in systems-level consultation and data-driven decision making.

Joseph F. Kovaleski, DEd, NCSP, is Professor Emeritus of Educational and School Psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he directed the Doctoral Program in School Psychology. Dr. Kovaleski has worked as a school psychologist and district administrator in school districts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He directed Pennsylvania’s Instructional Support Team Project and has served as a university consultant for Pennsylvania’s Response to Intervention and Multi-Tiered System of Support initiatives. Dr. Kovaleski’s special areas of expertise include using student data to inform instructional planning and behavior change programs. He has published a number of articles and book chapters on RTI and data-based decision making and presents frequently at national and state conferences. Dr. Kovaleski is a recipient of awards from the National Association of School Psychologists, the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania, and The Pennsylvania State University.

Benjamin Silberglitt, PhD, is Executive Director of Research, Outcomes, and Implementation at Intermediate District 287, a consortium of 11 school districts in the Twin Cities metropolitan area in Minnesota. He has founded, launched, and led the implementation of multiple education technology products since the early 2000s. Dr. Silberglitt is a cofounder of Cedar Labs, a universal data integration platform with statewide implementations in the United States and Australia. He regularly consults with school districts and presents on the effective use of data to support decision making.

Jason A. Pedersen, PhD, NCSP, is a school psychologist in the Derry Township School District in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He has worked with school staff to develop a comprehensive K-12 curriculum to foster and promote resilience, and he previously spearheaded schoolwide positive behavior support, response to intervention (RTI), and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) initiatives. Dr. Pedersen is coauthor (with Joseph F. Kovaleski) of a chapter on data-analysis teaming in Best Practices in School Psychology, Sixth Edition, as well as several articles in peer-reviewed journals. He has given numerous presentations on MTSS and RTI at the local, state, and national levels, and has consulted with school districts in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Texas.