IBM and the Broward County Public Schools, the fifth largest school district in the nation, worked together through Reinventing Education to improve district-wide accountability. Beginning in 1995, the partnership developed and implemented a Data Warehouse, technology that at the time was common to business but not to schools.
Today, the district, which is home to more than 266,000 students representing 155 countries and 57 languages, is using the Data Warehouse as an integral part of its accountability system. Headquarters staff are using the technology to make informed decisions on a wide range of subjects, including curriculum, budgets and personnel. Administrators in particular are using the system to analyze trends that enable them to avoid potential problems and to institute the planning that is critical to meet district and state accountability requirements. School staff also are using the Data Warehouse for school improvement planning. Every year, thousands of teachers are trained on the technology.
As a result of the grant, the Data Warehouse technology developed and implemented in Broward has received national industry and education community recognition.
The Virtual Counselor is the latest service to stem from the grant partnership. The Virtual Counselor gives secure, real-time information to local parents, so despite their busy schedules, they can receive regular updates on how well their child is doing in school. Parents get to the service by logging on to the district web site at www.browardschools.com; if they find something of concern, they can schedule an appointment with a school guidance counselor.
With this new system, the district is able to take the wealth of information about its schools and students and design an integrated database. Existing data systems do not have to be altered. The system captures data from a wide range of existing, automated systems that currently exist independently to provide a single unified information system that is available at the school level. The system delivers the right information to those who need it — teachers, parents, and principals at the school level, providing them with "fingertip access" that enables them to make decisions on a wide range of subjects, including curriculum, budgets and personnel. While there are customized reports, the emphasis is on flexibility and decentralized decision-making.
With better data, schools have more effective accountability for internal evaluation and public reporting. Teachers are able to diagnose a problem as soon as it occurs — not three months, or even six months, later when the report is filed. They also are able to investigate a wide number of potential solutions and document those steps that could have a substantial impact. Administrators use the system for trending and analysis to head off potential problems and institute long-range planning. For example, if reading scores are off in a particular grade, they can spot the trend quickly and correct it. If a school is showing outstanding performance in a given area, it can be studied and used as a benchmark. This fosters continuous school improvement, providing the solid information that is required for effective action.
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