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2. Through the Data: Managing and Using

Once information has been collected, it must move safely and reliably through the organization. Records are reviewed, corrected, matched, transferred, combined, secured, interpreted, and used.

This middle phase is where data governance becomes real. It includes far more than software administration. It requires shared definitions, clear ownership, documented processes, appropriate access, and time for people to investigate what the data is actually saying.

From separate records to a usable system

Explain the typical path:

Collect → Validate → Correct → Reconcile → Integrate → Secure → Analyze → Act

Data may pass through:

  • Student information systems
  • Learning and assessment platforms
  • Special education systems
  • Human resources and payroll
  • Financial systems
  • Food service and transportation systems
  • Data warehouses and dashboards
  • State reporting tools
  • Vendor integrations
  • Locally maintained spreadsheets and databases

Each transfer creates a point where information can be delayed, duplicated, transformed, or lost.

Ownership and stewardship

Clarify different responsibilities:

  • Data owner: Has organizational authority over the information.
  • Data steward: Maintains definitions, quality rules, and appropriate use.
  • System administrator: Manages configuration, access, and operation.
  • Data processor or analyst: Prepares, validates, combines, or interprets data.
  • Data user: Uses information to perform work or make decisions.
  • Approver or certifier: Accepts responsibility for an official submission or publication.

One person may fill several roles in a small district, but the roles should still be identified.

Managing data quality

Introduce practical quality dimensions:

  • Complete: Are required records and fields present?
  • Accurate: Do they reflect what actually occurred?
  • Timely: Were they entered soon enough to be useful?
  • Consistent: Do departments and systems use the same definitions?
  • Unique: Have duplicate people or events been identified?
  • Valid: Do values meet established rules?
  • Traceable: Can the district determine where the information originated?
  • Fit for purpose: Is it appropriate for the decision being made?

Correcting errors without hiding the process

The goal is not merely to make an error message disappear. Staff should understand:

  • What condition produced the error
  • Whether the source record or the reporting extract is wrong
  • Who has authority to correct it
  • Whether the correction affects another system
  • How the resolution should be documented
  • Whether the same problem exists in other records
  • What process change could prevent recurrence

Privacy, security, and appropriate access

This section can connect operational data work with responsibility:

  • Give people the access their work requires—not every access the system permits.
  • Review access when employees change positions or leave.
  • Avoid moving sensitive information through personal email or unmanaged files.
  • Understand vendor access, data-sharing terms, and retention practices.
  • Establish secure methods for exchanging records.
  • Maintain backups and recovery procedures.
  • Distinguish between authorized educational use and convenient reuse.

Using data for improvement

Move the discussion beyond compliance:

  • Identifying students who may need support
  • Evaluating whether services are reaching intended students
  • Monitoring attendance and engagement
  • Reviewing course access and outcomes
  • Planning staffing and professional learning
  • Allocating resources
  • Evaluating programs and interventions
  • Identifying inequities
  • Testing assumptions with evidence
  • Communicating progress and uncertainty honestly

A useful principle:

Data becomes useful when it is placed in context, discussed with the people who understand that context, and connected to a decision the organization is prepared to make.

Questions before acting

  • What question are we trying to answer?
  • Is this the correct population and time period?
  • Are important records missing?
  • Could the apparent change be caused by a definition or system change?
  • What cannot be concluded from this information?
  • Who should participate in interpreting the result?
  • What action is within the district’s control?
  • How will we know whether that action helped?