In honor of the valuable role principals play in fostering data-driven education and student achievement, DQC wants to take this week to hold a mini-celebration of principals right here on The Flashlight! We’ll talk about the importance of data for school leadership, and we are very excited that Principal Vera Wehring from B.F. Terry High School in Rosenberg, Texas, has taken time out of her busy schedule to write a guest blog on how she uses data to improve her school (coming tomorrow).
October was officially recognized as National Principals Month by House and Senate resolutions in September 2012. Our partner the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), along with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), helped steward this effort, and we’re very excited to celebrate the achievement with them.
Although October is coming to a close, there’s still time for YOU to celebrate National Principals month, too! There are many ways to support school leadership: shadowing a school principal for a day (many US Department of Education officials partook this month!), writing an op-ed to your local paper about the importance of school leadership, writing a thank you note either to your children’s principal or to a principal in your community, or encouraging local businesses to offer discounts for principals in appreciation of their hard work.
As DQC’s work has shifted from building data systems to effectively using data, we are enthusiastic about working with our partners and experts to inform how states can better serve principals’ data needs. In the meantime, check out this guide DQC and NASSP published in 2008 on the importance of longitudinal data to school leadership.
Are you a school leader who has effectively used data? Do you have a story about a principal in your community who successfully uses data to increase student achievement? Share your success stories in the comments!
