Data Coaching

Our Collective Challenge
Countless pieces of data are collected each day at all levels about students and their educational experiences. But still, thousands of Washington students drop out of high school—14,054 students during the 2011–12 school year. To support students and educators, we need intentional data that stakeholders can access, understand, and use to keep students engaged in school and on track to graduate from high school.

Program Purpose
Washington state is working to reduce the number of high school dropouts. Improved data use can help a district or school implement a recommended list of interventions appropriate for the unique needs of their students, and that are most effective at addressing local conditions and the needs of their students.

Program Components
The District and School Data Team Toolkit is now available to districts throughout Washington state. The toolkit contains protocols, templates, and informational resources for establishing data teams. The toolkit supports the use of inquiry to drive school and district improvement with specific content that can support data us to address dropout prevention, intervention and retrieval.

Educational Service District (ESD) data coach have been identified and trained, equipped to:

• Assist and support a district in engaging in a data team self-assessment.
• Facilitate the creation of a district data vision and action plan.
• Support a district data team in using tools from the District and School Data Team Toolkit to establish or enhance the work of school data teams focused on specific improvement needs.
• Provide training, coaching and mentoring to district-level staff serving as data specialists.
• Assist and support districts to access and use data from various data sources, such as those available in a Dropout Early Warning and Intervention System.

Program Outcomes
As a result of this project, the skills and services of ESD data coaches are available to districts as a new professional development or consultation. ESD data coaches can provide districts with an array of consulting services: needs assessment, visioning, action planning, data use professional development, coaching, facilitation, and mentoring.