Make sure your district is data ready with this free playbook

In recent years, unprecedented funds have reached districts as part of pandemic recovery and support efforts. As a result of this increased investment in technology, schools are generating more valuable data than ever before, but much of that data is not available or actionable because it is siled in systems that are not connected to each other.

At the same time, as NAEP scores show declining progress across the United States, school districts are trying to understand the extent of educational inequalities and narrow equity gaps. However, it is challenging to understand the root cause of these issues and determine how best to address them without the complete child information made possible by interoperability – the seamless, secure, and controlled exchange of data between applications.

Four key data interoperability considerations for 2024

As school districts move forward into a new year, developing a fundamental understanding of data equity and interoperability is critical to establishing holistic policies, practices, and systems that support student variability and address the needs of historically and systematically excluded students. By better approaching holistic data, districts can ensure that data becomes an authentic and integrated part of the district's culture and decision-making year-round. Below are some key considerations to keep in mind:

1. Good data governance, which the U.S. Department of Education defines as “clearly outlining policies, standard procedures, responsibilities, and controls related to data activities…to ensure that information is collected, maintained, used, and disseminated.” in a way that protects people's rights. to privacy, confidentiality and security, while producing accurate and timely statistical data”, is essential for maintaining a secure, accessible and reliable data infrastructure and is essential for designing and implementing data interoperability projects. However, the Unicorn Project State of the Sector Report 2023 indicates that this remains a significant challenge for school districts. The majority (65.38%) of respondents still need to define data governance goals and objectives at the organizational level.
2. Many educators are excited about the potential of ai to ultimately help us achieve our goals of creating personalized learning journeys for students. But To fully personalize learning, we need to establish a secure and seamless data flow. across platforms so educators can get a holistic view of students and effectively support them wherever they are.
3. Interoperability is also essential to allow us to transform assessment. It allows educators to see learning patterns across platforms, revealing strengths, potential challenges, and engagement. According to Erin Mote, CEO and co-founder of InnovateEDU, “data interoperability can give educators a superpower to unlock the full potential of every student.”
4. Interoperability and compliance with data standards can and should be a key consideration for procurement decisions.. Many district leaders are unaware of the real long-term costs associated with a lack of interoperability. Unicorn Project has created a Interoperability certification to help district leaders identify products that prioritize interoperability. CoSN's case study, Michigan Data Hub: A Strategic Alignment and Return on Investment Study, offers insights into these hidden costs. The study authors found that “data management by (Michigan) districts requires both staff effort and technology costs totaling more than $160 million per year statewide. More than $61 million a year is spent on data quality, data integrity, and other general data management tasks, while $64 million a year is spent on enabling key internal systems within districts to operate. communicate with each other.”

A practical resource for districts