UK Government to Use Real-Time School Data to Shape Education Policy
The government in England has invited technology companies to take part in pilot projects aimed at making more effective use of real-time data collected through school management information systems (MIS) in policymaking. Through an initiative led by the Department for Education, it is planned that up-to-date data obtained from schools will be transmitted directly to government officials.
Ministry officials state that this initiative will enable school leaders to more easily benchmark their schools against similar institutions nationwide and will make the government’s education policy decision-making processes faster and more data-driven. Educational technology consultant Nick Finnemore said that the planned pilots could offer an alternative to the “outdated” methods currently used for statutory data reporting. Finnemore emphasized that in a modern data environment, the government should be able to access the information it needs when it needs it, rather than relying on periodic and manual submissions.
The ministry argues that access to near real-time data will allow policy decisions to be supported by data more regularly and more effectively. It is also noted that schools will be able to compare themselves with similar institutions at the national level using this information, and that the data collected will feed into departmental policies much more quickly. MIS systems contain a wide range of critical data, including attendance, admissions, behavior, assessment results, and payroll information.