What's At Risk When Schools Focus Too Much on Student Data? | MindShift | KQED News | Professional Learning for Busy Educators | Scoop.it
Have you ever seen a school data wall?

In a struggling Newark, N.J., public school, I've seen bulletin boards showing the test scores of each grade compared with state averages. And in one in affluent Silicon Valley, I've seen smartboards that track individual students' math responses in real time.

These kinds of public displays send a message: This school cares about student performance by the numbers.

You've probably heard about the positive side of all that data gathering and sharing. Like this story we ran just last week about a district that used data as the catalyst to conquer chronic absences.

But as "data-driven" education becomes more popular, critics are also raising a range of concerns.