Plenary Presentation III: A Human Capital Systems Approach to Informed Data Use: Where Have We Been, and Where Are We Going?

During the past 10 years, SEAs have made tremendous strides in developing robust student-level data systems. As states move toward the implementation of comprehensive educator evaluation systems, a need for even more comprehensive, agile, and informative data systems is becoming apparent. This session described how Maryland is actively using its data system and multiple data sources to inform and advance human capital management from the state level to the school district level. Following are some highlights:

• Tabitha Grossman, program director of the education division at the National Governor’s Association, asserted that while recruitment and retention strategies are critical in attracting and retaining effective teachers and leaders, states and districts must have a comprehensive, coherent approach to improving teaching at scale. The challenge of implementing the Common Core State Standards pushed the Maryland State Department of Education to reform its human capital management policy to ensure the state is retaining and developing highly effective educators. The state is working to address issues of teacher satisfaction and working conditions by using Teaching, Empowering, Leading & Learning (TELL) Survey data to identify areas for improvement.
• The Maryland State Department of Education administered the TELL Survey twice to examine the impact of reforms, generate conversations about improvement at the school and district levels, and build the capacity of school leaders to improve teaching and learning environments. These conversations were designed to help improve human capital management policies and recruitment and retention across the state. The data showed that new teachers were not getting the induction support they felt they needed, which led to multilevel efforts to better support new teachers.
• Steve Perakis, coordinator of evaluation at Charles County (Maryland) Public Schools, discussed how Charles County shared its survey results with all stakeholders, including parents, so that both teaching and learning conditions and the district’s work to address issues could be transparent. Survey data in Charles County showed that the work of school leaders had a major impact on working conditions and implementing effective reforms. The district worked to build cooperation and understanding with building leaders, and included the principal’s response to concerns raised by the survey as part of the principal’s own evaluation.