The Role of Data-Driven Decision-Making in Organizational Transformation: A Case Study Analysis of Leadership and Organizational Actions
Abstract
Principals at Hunter School District, a pseudonym, lacked capacity for using data, a reflection of the district’s lack of a culture of data-driven decision-making. HSD was located in New York City, with 23 schools serving 11,600 students; students were 90% Black or Latino with 90% coming from low-income families and 20% living in temporary housing. HSD students were 10% Multilingual Learners and 30% students with special learning needs. Using an Improvement Science Approach, three primary drivers were identified to address this problem of practice: 1) creating systems and structures with a strategic data focus; 2) implementing districtwide tools for information management and utilization; and 3) creating a data-driven district culture that modeled effective data use. Two sequential Plan-Do-Act-Study cycles were used to teach 23 principals how to use Improvement Science. Using a case study approach, the intervention was assessed through the lens of leadership using adaptive leadership theory, a communities of practice framework, and organizational change theory. The study concludes that these theoretical approaches to districtwide change were effective in creating a data-driven culture of continuous change when supported by district leadership, engaging principals as partners, and allowing sufficient time for learning and change.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Educational administration|Education
Recommended Citation
Smith, Shannon Terell, "The Role of Data-Driven Decision-Making in Organizational Transformation: A Case Study Analysis of Leadership and Organizational Actions" (2023). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30525494.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30525494
