34
Education Datalab is a new resource for evidence-based education that was launched by the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) in London this month.
Director Dr Rebecca Allen describes Education Datalab as bringing together “a group of expert researchers who all believe we can improve education policy by analysing large education datasets”. Education Datalab aims to “turn curiosity about education into quantitative analysis” and help schools by analysing open data such as the National Pupil Database.
The launch report Seven things you might not know about our schools includes pieces on Attainment 8, closing the pupil-premium gap, measuring pupil progress, and how women dominate the teaching profession yet men earn more.
Progress measures come under scrutiny in Why measuring pupil progress involves more than taking a straight line. Targets used to monitor pupil, teacher, and school progress assume linear progress and label learners as on track or off target. Evidence from Education Datalab suggests that such assumptions are incorrect as data show that fewer than one out of ten children make linear progress through Key Stages 2 to 4.