Abstract
Utilizing data to improve teacher professional development presupposes a need to know how it can serve people in the education delivery system. In Gujarat, India progress is steered by using data to build personal agency and integrate actionable evaluation for improvement. The shift in the system, however, manifests from the core: the administrators, principals, and teachers. These individuals are leveraging data to improve their contribution to the system, and in the process, improving the system as a whole. The data that flow between these different levels are meaningful, easy to understand and use. The data are used in different ways, district administrators use them to hone their teacher training programming, principals use them to differentiate their support by teacher needs, and teachers use them for self-reflection and improving the quality of education in their classrooms. Previously siloed levels of the education system are connecting through the shared goals of professional and personal growth. And as a consequence, the Teacher Professional Development system is moving toward a person-centric focus, and moving away from a data-centric focused one.
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- 1.
A recent comparison of public education delivery systems indicates that the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Singapore stand out for their education system outcomes, especially high learner preparation of students entering primary school. These countries also differentiate themselves in the caliber of their governance, accountability, and leadership in their education systems (World Bank, 2018, p. 23).
- 2.
For the duration of the Fellowship, the Fellows live in the community of their school.
- 3.
Most fellows are in their 20s. Therefore, conversations around the Fellows leading trainings are initially viewed as both humorous and absurd by teachers and principals. However, the Fellows work hard to win the confidence and respect of their school colleagues through their empathy and dedication. The age differential works to their advantage as they propose fresh ideas and thinking about schooling and learning.
- 4.
No real names are used; all names are pseudonyms.
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Raza, M., Kim, S., Jayaram, M., Sharma, V., Natraj, A., Seidman, E. (2019). People, Not Numbers: Using Data to Humanize and Strengthen Teacher Support Systems in India. In: Setty, R., Iyengar, R., Witenstein, M.A., Byker, E.J., Kidwai, H. (eds) Teaching and Teacher Education. South Asian Education Policy, Research, and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26879-4_10
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