[Secondary] Re: [Advisory] Online Reporting in Schools - A serious rant
Crispin Weston
crispin.weston@alphalearning.co.uk
Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:11:22 -0000
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Catching up with this thread, I am reminded of this exchange in
Shakespeare's Tempest:
MIRANDA. O the heavens!
What foul play had we, that we came from thence? [deposed from Milan and
exiled on an island]
Or blessed was't we did?
PROSPERO. Both, both, my girl.
Are schools about people or systems? Are good diagnostics supported by
insightful teacher comments or objective quantitative data (or indeed
student self assessments)?
"Both, both my girl" seems to be a pretty good answer to all of these
questions (depending, I suppose, on whom you are addressing).
The converse kind of argument (which seems to have received a bit of an
airing on the list) is based on the construction of false dichotomies. It
says that *because* schools are about people, *therefore* they do not
require good management systems, or *because* we like insightful teacher
comments, *therefore* quantitative data is of no use. It is a kind of
argument which is as commonly heard as it is logically flawed. It is often
the synergies - between people and efficient management systems and between
quantitative and qualitative data, that really deliver the results.
I agree with Neil when he says that "It worries me that the level of detail
you [Ray] imply will take "forever" for people to put into systems". Ray
says "let's start actually collaborating about the positive potential rather
than the negative clouds of gloom and doubt". But this is another argument
that I hear often but leaves me a little cold - be constructive, don't
criticise, get on board the train now leaving platform 6. Good intentions
are dangerous things (even though Ray will be the first to point out that I
have a few myself). We have to make sure that the policies being advocated
are realistic, well thought out and are likely to work. I take "don't
criticise" as a cast iron guarantee that what is being advocated doesn't
work.
Mike Briscoe says that "it is DIALOGUE that the online reporting activity is
focused upon". I don't think that anyone would argue with the value of
dialogue or of parental engagement any more than with motherhood and apple
pie. But dialogue (perhaps over wine and nibbles) is not the same as
reporting. The *quality* of any dialogue will depend very largely on the
value of the information which underpins it. It will also depend on the
amount of effort put into maintaining the dialogue-and the amount of effort
required from teachers to marshal the relevant data and write the emails and
follow them up and deal with the complaints and possible confrontations is
all very considerable. Which is why many teachers find other ways of
spending their evenings-and why I am advocating that we should look to
support the dialogue with better data systems. If you put the burden on
teachers to keep the dialogue going, nothing will happen 90% of the time. If
you create automatic reporting systems, you will allow parents to initiate
any dialogue that the data seems to require.
The Becta video clip that Mike links to says that "Schools are using
websites, electronic newsletters and email to keep parents informed about a
wide variety of topics" - all of these boil down, I suspect, to informal,
teacher-driven forms of communication which are not only time consuming but
which are likely to have little or no solid data underpinning. It sounds to
me like there's a lot of back-pedalling going on. "Reporting" is being
morphed into "dialogue" and hard data into newsletters.
So, just to reiterate my position (in case people take it from the above
that I am being too negative), I support dialogue, I support real time
reporting and I support what most people have said about the need for rich
and varied data. But you can't put the burden of delivering these things on
the poor bloody infantry all the time. You have to provide teachers with the
right tools. In this case, that means good data systems with automatic data
capture. Data capture is critical. That is what Bill Gates meant when he
said "content is king": you can build the fanciest systems you like but
without any data they are a waste of space. And that is why the historic
failure to address data interoperability in schools has such serious
consequences for the real-time reporting agenda (amongst others).
Crispin.
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<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Catching up with this thread, I am
reminded of this exchange in Shakespeare’s =
Tempest:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dpurple face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:purple'>MIRANDA. O the heavens! =
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dpurple face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:purple'>What foul play had we, that we =
came from
thence? [deposed from <st1:City w:st=3D"on"><st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Milan</st1:place></st1:City>
and exiled on an island]<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dpurple face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:purple'>Or blessed was't we =
did?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dpurple face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:purple'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p=
>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dpurple face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:purple'>PROSPERO. Both, both, my =
girl.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Are schools about people or =
systems? Are
good diagnostics supported by insightful teacher comments or objective
quantitative data (or indeed student self assessments)? =
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>“Both, both my girl” =
seems to
be a pretty good answer to all of these questions (depending, I suppose, =
on
whom you are addressing). <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The converse kind of argument =
(which seems
to have received a bit of an airing on the list) is based on the =
construction
of false dichotomies. It says that *<b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>because</span></b>*
schools are about people, *<b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>therefore</span></b>*
they do not require good management systems, or *<b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:
bold'>because</span></b>* we like insightful teacher comments, *<b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>therefore</span></b>* quantitative data is of =
no use.
It is a kind of argument which is as commonly heard as it is logically =
flawed.
It is often the synergies – between people and efficient =
management
systems and between quantitative and qualitative data, that really =
deliver the
results.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I agree with Neil when he says that
“It worries me that the level of detail you [Ray] imply will take
"forever" for people to put into systems”. Ray says
“let’s start actually collaborating about the positive =
potential
rather than the negative clouds of gloom and doubt”. But this is =
another
argument that I hear often but leaves me a little cold – be =
constructive,
don’t criticise, get on board the train now leaving platform 6. =
Good
intentions are dangerous things (even though Ray will be the first to =
point out
that I have a few myself). We have to make sure that the policies being
advocated are realistic, well thought out and are likely to work. I take
“don’t criticise” as a cast iron guarantee that what =
is being
advocated doesn’t work. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Mike Briscoe says that “it is
DIALOGUE that the online reporting activity is focused upon”. I
don’t think that anyone would argue with the value of dialogue or =
of
parental engagement any more than with motherhood and apple pie. But =
dialogue
(perhaps over wine and nibbles) is not the same as reporting. The =
*<b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>quality</span></b>* of any dialogue will =
depend very
largely on the value of the information which underpins it. It will also =
depend
on the amount of effort put into maintaining the dialogue—and the =
amount
of effort required from teachers to marshal the relevant data and write =
the
emails and follow them up and deal with the complaints and possible
confrontations is all very considerable. Which is why many teachers find =
other
ways of spending their evenings—and why I am advocating that we =
should
look to support the dialogue with better data systems. If you put the =
burden on
teachers to keep the dialogue going, nothing will happen 90% of the =
time. If
you create automatic reporting systems, you will allow parents to =
initiate any
dialogue that the data seems to require.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The Becta video clip that Mike =
links to
says that “Schools are using websites, electronic newsletters and =
email
to keep parents informed about a wide variety of topics” – =
all of
these boil down, I suspect, to informal, teacher-driven forms of =
communication
which are not only time consuming but which are likely to have little or =
no
solid data underpinning. It sounds to me like there’s a lot of
back-pedalling going on. “Reporting” is being morphed into =
“dialogue”
and hard data into newsletters.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>So, just to reiterate my position =
(in case
people take it from the above that I am being too negative), I support
dialogue, I support real time reporting and I support what most people =
have
said about the need for rich and varied data. But you can’t put =
the burden
of delivering these things on the poor bloody infantry all the time. You =
have
to provide teachers with the right tools. In this case, that means good =
data
systems with automatic data capture. Data capture is critical. That is =
what
Bill Gates meant when he said “content is king”: you can =
build the
fanciest systems you like but without any data they are a waste of =
space. And
that is why the historic failure to address data interoperability in =
schools has
such serious consequences for the real-time reporting agenda (amongst =
others).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Crispin.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p=
>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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