Introduction

Data-based decision making continues to receive ample attention in education. In this book we brought together research on data use conducted in seven different countries: The United States, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, England, Belgium, and South Africa. Different questions will be addressed. Why is data use important and what does it look like in schools? How does policy influence data use? Which factors can enable (e.g., encouragement by the school leader) or hinder (e.g., ineffective data management systems) effective data use? What are the intended effects (e.g., increased student achievement) and unintended effects (e.g., teaching to the test) of data use?