Data Literacy for School Educators: Towards a Framework for Implementation in Private Schools in Lebanon

Abstract

Data-based or data-driven decision-making in schools has been associated with improved quality of teaching and learning and with school improvement at different levels. Opportunities for data use in schools have become more prevalent with the multitude of digital tools available for recording and analyzing school data. The effectiveness of data use in education, however, depends on various factors. This review study provides a review of literature on data literacy for educators towards the adaptation of a framework that could be proposed for implementation in private schools in Lebanon. The study presents an extensive review of recent literature to explore: (a) what is the role of data literacy and use in schools and how can this relate to private schools in Lebanon; (b) what are the frameworks for data literacy and use adopted internationally and how can they be synthesized for private schools in Lebanon; (c) what are the factors enabling or disabling data use in schools for effective decision making; and (d) which professional development intervention models have been shown to be effective in building school educators’ data literacy capacity. Suggestions for adaptation to the local context and implementation are discussed with the proposal of a framework to guide private schools in Lebanon in developing educators’ data literacy, along with implications for practice and further research.