Effective educators make effective decisions; decisions based on accurate information. If knowledge is power, then studying the current abilities, skills, attitudes, and learning styles of students empowers educators to adjust the curriculum, instructional practice, support, and level of engagement to achieve whatever goals that are connected to the school improvement plan and what the professional learning community has chosen.

When educators study their schools and classes, they seek an answer to the ageless question: Is it good because we've been doing it for a long time, or is it good because we have tangible evidence of its worth (McLean, 1995).

The following resources help PLCs look more deeply at student and school data. The resources are divided into two areas: data processes and data tools.