Robert S. Houghton, Ph.D., Department of Birth-Kindergarten, Elementary and Middle Grades Education, College of Education and Allied Professions, March 1, 2005
A popular perspective in the field of education is that data driven decision making will improve education. This line of thinking depends on a complex underlying hypothesis of multiple parts: that information tools are readily available, that the data exists to make such activity practical and that such tools will generate useful perspectives. Research was undertaken to seek such data and the computer applications that could handle appropriate data for a region of a state, a region for which a university or other institution might find itself in mission. In this case, the Western North Carolina (WNC) region is the one in which Western Carolina University and the author is located. A combination of a GIS system (ArcView) map of schools and a database (Microsoft Access) of school achievement data was found and studied. The GIS system was used to compose a regional map of all public schools in 17 counties that showed their precise location over a detailed terrain map. The database was studied for analytical potential. This is a first report on methods that were discovered for such thinking, methods that just touch the surface of possibilities. This combination holds enormous potential for data driven decision making with results that educators can understand and for making discoveries of practical benefit.
The explosion in computer networking, data collection and storage and data manipulation tools suggests that data driven decision making would have practical benefits. Tools that work for corporations, government and science agencies do not necessarily map well onto the educational scene. Could such a research tool be easily assembled? Computer tools that manipulate locally relevant data on a desktop computer in ways that can be readily grasped appear to be available. GIS software runs on desktop computers or over networks and provides powerful Of equal importance, locally relevant data was found. Combining the visual perspective of a GIS database with a rich database of regional data and state data can provide a clear sense of where help is needed and where role models for more effective teaching might be found.
There were two major phases to this experiment. The first phase was to find, then work with a GIS database that would help decision makers determine which schools needed help and which schools could serve as role models. In collaboration with the GIS specialist in the campus map library, a terrain map was built that showed land characteristics such as mountains and plains, which included layers for roads, waterways, cities and counties. It also included a map layer with precise and numbered locations of 257 public schools in this region. A legend listing the names and matching number of each school was created, and a system determined for flagging each school with which Western's College of Education had partnerships. One version of the map is displayed above.
There were numerous problems. The first was with the accuracy of the number and name of schools. This was resolved by comparing the state data with the data in the College of Education's contact database for college mailings. Telephone calls were made to area schools when names were in question. Other problems occurred with the construction of the terrain match which took the greatest amount of time. A large area map must be assembled from tiles. When the tiles were combined, the touching edges of the tiles did not produce a smooth coloration and edge line. Consequently, Photoshop was used to erase or modify edges on a pixel by pixel basis, a process taking hours.
Another problem occurred with the large size of database itself. North Carolina annually collects what it calls school report card data. This was obtained from the data analysis team with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The current data set covers the years 2001 to 2004, or four years of coverage. The database in Microsoft Access format is some 140 megabytes of data. The data dictionary that describes the fields in this database is 60 pages long. Educational researches will need to spend much time determining what fields are available and what their field names mean. Proof of concept searches were done to determine the practical aspect of its use.
Information tools are readily available
GIS systems are numerous and easy to obtain. Many institutions already have licenses to such software. Microsoft Access is part of the commonly available Microsoft Office suite of applications.
Data exists to make such activity practical
Finding the school location data was not difficult. Further, the college kept clear records of which schools with which it partnered for the placement of student teachers. Obtaining the state report card data on state schools was harder to come by, largely because its availability was not widely known.
Such tools will generate useful perspectives
This is the creative part of the search process. An important result of a database search is determining which schools need the most help with furthering the training of teachers. The results of the search are also reflected on the GIS map, showing the location of these schools. Knowing locations is important in searching for regional patterns and in planning the location of in-service activity to enable the shortest drives and greatest number of participants for workshops.
The only troubling aspect to the design is the steepness of the learning curve in using both ArcView and Access. Each database uses a complex interface. Combining the two adds to the complexity. The next phase of research will examine the amount of time needed to create real efficiency with both these applications.
The visualization of the map data is motivational, stimulating the researcher to continue to probe the data sets. The number of possible search combinations appears staggering. As the GIS software advances, it will also be possible to do the search over the web with the databases running from a server eliminating the need to have a copy of the system on your own computer or to travel to the university campus in order to search the data.
Further research has turned up additional economic data on the same region. This will allow comparisons of educational progress and business growth. Multiple years of such data will enable longitudinal studies over a several year period.
As the number of student teachers grows across this region it will be increasingly possible to use the map to identify a correlation of schools with student teachers and those schools that serve as role models for effective practice and schools that can benefit for coordinated instruction addressing problems identified by actual data. By working with these schools and our teacher interns to deliver teaching models, examples of best practice, and innovations, the College of Education will better be able to meets its mission in solving school building and district level concerns.
The most obvious conclusion is that the depth of the data will require a great deal of time to determine which kinds of questions are possible within the data set itself. The second conclusion of some importance is the need for even simpler interfaces for searching the school report card data. The overall conclusion still matches the initial hunch, that ample data is available for asking certain kinds of questions and that the results can have significant impact on school practices.
Hohl, Pat; Mayo, Brad (2004). Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop: The Basics of ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo Updated for ArcGIS 9. ESRI Press. CD-ROM edition.
Pierce, John; Pardi, Paul (2004). Microsoft Office Access 2003 Inside Track. Microsoft Press.
Access by Microsoft. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX010857911033.aspx
Arcview by ESRI. http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcview/