Overview: What do the data tell us about education?

Too often, important decisions in education are made based on beliefs, ideology, politics, and, at best, incomplete information. When there is evidence, it is usually scarce, disorganized, and inconclusive. As a result, educators don’t ask the critical question “what do the data tell us?” In order to help answer this question, the Wing Institute has added a “data mining” section to its web site.

Data Mining

The term “data mining” is frequently used in information technology. It generally refers to a process for collecting and analyzing data in order to identify trends, patterns, and relationships. The goals of the Wing Institute’s data mining are:

1. Conduct an ongoing search for relevant research, data, and policy analyses.
2. Conduct this research in the context of a “gap analysis,” by which fundamental questions are framed and knowledge gaps are identified.
3. Display this information in accessible formats.
4. Discuss implications of research and make suggestions for additional study.
5. Provide an electronic community for the exchange of ideas, feedback, and additional information.

Our data mining initiative is not designed to offer reviews of the research in terms of design, statistics, or conclusions. 

Gap Analysis

The purpose of the gap analysis is to identify:

1. Critical questions that need to be answered to provide effective, evidence-based education (what we need to know).
2. Existing information that answers these questions (what we do know).
3. Gaps in the knowledge base (what we don’t know).

The initial questions are identified in the following graphic:

The gap analysis is organized into four areas of evidence: students, teachers, systems, and home. Each area has its own landing page and gap analysis heuristic.

Tool Kit:

The data mining tools section provides users with a basic tool kit for understanding and interpreting research found on the Wing Institute Web site.

These tools include:

• Resources:
  • The Institute of Education Science’s Guide for Evaluating the Validity and Reliability of Educational Research
  • Guide for the Use of Single-Subject Design Studies: Single-Case Design Technical Documentation, 2010
  • A summary of the What Works Clearinghouse resource and document library
• Glossary: Essential education research terms
• Effect Size: In-depth examination of effect size and how to interpret effect size in research studies
• Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT): What an RCT is and how to interpret RCT studies
• Single-Subject Design (SSD): What SSD is, how and when to use the method, and how to incorporate SSD studies into our knowledge base
• Qualitative Research: What qualitative research is and how to effectively use qualitative research results