Data-Driven Decision-Making for School Leaders → Dr Jake Madden

About Course

This course helps school leaders turn data into better decisions. It builds a repeatable process for choosing indicators, reading patterns, testing causes, and acting with discipline. You will finish with a practical, school-ready data action plan.

learning outcomes (LO1–LO4)

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

LO1: Explain key data types and common school data risks.
LO2: Analyse patterns and trends using simple routines and visuals.
LO3: Evaluate likely causes and select appropriate responses.
LO4: Design and lead a sustainable data-to-action cycle in a school.

By the end of this course, participants will:
* Be able to confidently analyse and interpret school data to make informed decisions.
* Develop actionable plans that improve student outcomes, enhance staff performance, and allocate resources efficiently.
* Communicate data-driven insights to various stakeholders in a compelling and effective manner.
* Foster a culture of continuous improvement in their schools by utilising data as a key decision-making tool.

Course Content

Introduction to Data-Driven Decision-Making in Education

Finding Patterns Without Overcomplicating It
This week shows you how to turn raw data into clear insight. You will learn simple routines for trend checks, subgroup scans, and triangulation. You will finish with a short pattern scan that leads to a practical next step.

From Patterns to Causes
This week helps you move from “what we see” to “why it might be happening”. You will practise simple diagnosis tools that reduce guesswork. You will finish with a cause map and three testable hypotheses.

Choosing Actions That Match the Evidence
This week helps you select actions that fit the problem you have diagnosed. You will learn a simple way to choose an intervention, set success criteria, and plan implementation. You will finish with a one-page action logic model that can be shared with your team.

Leading a Sustainable Data-to-Action Culture
This week focuses on sustainability. You will learn how to build routines, roles, and meeting protocols that make data use normal, not seasonal. You will finish the course with a complete school data decision plan.

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Data-Driven Decision-Making for School Leaders

About Course

learning outcomes (LO1–LO4)

What Will You Learn?

Course Content

Introduction to Data-Driven Decision-Making in Education

The Leadership Problem Data Should Solve

The Main Data Types in Schools

Quality, Bias, and Common Traps

Ethics, Privacy, and Trust

Activity: Draft Your Minimum Viable Dashboard

Week 1 Quiz

Finding Patterns Without Overcomplicating It
This week shows you how to turn raw data into clear insight. You will learn simple routines for trend checks, subgroup scans, and triangulation. You will finish with a short pattern scan that leads to a practical next step.

What Patterns Matter, and Why

The Pattern Scan Routine Leaders Can Teach

Triangulation: Making Safer Inferences

Simple Visuals Leaders Should Use Well

Assignment: Pattern Scan and Next Step

Week 2 Quiz

From Patterns to Causes
This week helps you move from “what we see” to “why it might be happening”. You will practise simple diagnosis tools that reduce guesswork. You will finish with a cause map and three testable hypotheses.

Correlation is Not Causation, and Why Leaders Get Caught

Root Cause Tools That Work in Schools

Leading and Lagging Indicators: What to Watch First

How much evidence is enough to act

Assignment: Cause Map and Three Testable Hypotheses

Week 3 Quiz

Interventions Fail When They Do Not Match the Problem

Choosing Actions: The Decision Checklist

Success Criteria and Decision Rules

Implementation Basics Leaders Must Protect

Assignment: One-page Action Logic Model

Week 4 Quiz

Leading a Sustainable Data-to-Action Culture
This week focuses on sustainability. You will learn how to build routines, roles, and meeting protocols that make data use normal, not seasonal. You will finish the course with a complete school data decision plan.

Roles and Routines That Make Data Use Normal

A Meeting Protocol for Data Conversations That Build Trust

Reporting for Boards and Families Without Losing Meaning

The Continuous Improvement Cycle Leaders Should Embed

Capstone: School Data Decision Plan

Week 5 Quiz

About Course

learning outcomes (LO1–LO4)

What Will You Learn?

Course Content

Introduction to Data-Driven Decision-Making in Education

Finding Patterns Without Overcomplicating It This week shows you how to turn raw data into clear insight. You will learn simple routines for trend checks, subgroup scans, and triangulation. You will finish with a short pattern scan that leads to a practical next step.

From Patterns to Causes This week helps you move from “what we see” to “why it might be happening”. You will practise simple diagnosis tools that reduce guesswork. You will finish with a cause map and three testable hypotheses.

Leading a Sustainable Data-to-Action Culture This week focuses on sustainability. You will learn how to build routines, roles, and meeting protocols that make data use normal, not seasonal. You will finish the course with a complete school data decision plan.

Student Ratings & Reviews

Finding Patterns Without Overcomplicating It
This week shows you how to turn raw data into clear insight. You will learn simple routines for trend checks, subgroup scans, and triangulation. You will finish with a short pattern scan that leads to a practical next step.

From Patterns to Causes
This week helps you move from “what we see” to “why it might be happening”. You will practise simple diagnosis tools that reduce guesswork. You will finish with a cause map and three testable hypotheses.

Leading a Sustainable Data-to-Action Culture
This week focuses on sustainability. You will learn how to build routines, roles, and meeting protocols that make data use normal, not seasonal. You will finish the course with a complete school data decision plan.