Tracking the process of data use professional development interventions for instructional improvement: A systematic literature review

This paper investigates the evidence on the effects of data use professional development interventions (PDIs) on teacher and student outcomes through a systematic literature review. More specifically, it focuses on the key features of data use PDIs, the practices of data use, and its effects on teacher and student outcomes. To that end, we propose a framework for evaluating data use PDIs that moves from the interventions themselves (input) to the practices of data use (process) and finally the outcomes (output). The framework is used as the theoretical underpinning of this review. The results provide insights into the importance of incorporating some or all key PD features. The process of data use is viewed in this paper not only as an improvement strategy with a three-part interrelated and cyclical process of intentionally using data to inform instruction but as a constructivist learning process as well. Data use PDIs have promising results on teacher satisfaction, data literacy, attitudes and beliefs, as well as student subject-related outcomes. However, the findings also reveal that the effects on student outcomes are mediated by teacher outcomes, practices of data use and instructional changes. Overall, despite those findings, there is no evidence in the studies that PD features, teacher outcomes, practices of data use and instructional changes were, respectively, evaluated to support claims on their effects on student outcomes.