School districts are collecting more data than ever before, from student performance to behavior, attendance, and more. Despite this abundance of data, many district leaders struggle to use it effectively to improve student outcomes, and to make an impact on overall school district improvement. This results in a phenomenon known as being data rich, information…
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As a curriculum leader in a school district, your role is crucial to ensuring the success of students. One of the most effective ways to achieve success is by understanding how the use of data and analytics has the potential to impact school improvement efforts. Whether you are a district level assistant superintendent or a…
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As a school district leader, you are tasked with making decisions that impact student outcomes. One method of analyzing data utilizes predictive analytics. At ECRA, many of our products harness the power of predictive analytics to help school district leaders set goals, make decisions, and assess the impact of programming/interventions. In this article, we will…
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Academic Return on Investment (ROI), is a valuable tool for school districts to use in evaluating the effectiveness of educational programs or interventions. Measuring ROI should be considered a crucial component to evaluating a district’s continuous school improvement efforts. The process of academic ROI uses a disciplined method of inquiry that leverages the scientific method…
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As school district administrators, the principles of evidence-based practice (EBP) provides a framework for making informed decisions and maximizing positive outcomes for students and staff. As a district leader, promoting the concepts of evidence-based practice can have a positive impact on all district and school improvement efforts. A common misconception is that data is only…
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Data vs. Analytics: Do you know the difference? And, how does this apply to a school district environment? As a school district administrator, you may have heard the terms “data” and “analytics” being used frequently (often together or interchangeably), but may not fully understand the difference between the two. It may seem rather basic, but…
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In the August 2022 issue of School Administrator magazine, published by The School Superintendent’s Association (AASA), Dr. John Gatta, CEO of ECRA Group, contributed an article on the topic of academic return on investment (ROI). The article can be viewed, in context, via AASA’s digital magazine. For your convenience, the article is also posted below.…
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Listen to Dr. John Gatta, CEO of ECRA Group, in this interview with Larry Jacobs on Education Talk Radio, discuss how districts can measure academic return on investment (ROI). Dr. Gatta helps define academic return on investment and outlines several examples and some strategies for measuring ROI. This interview was made possible because of ECRA’s…
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Dr. John Gatta from ECRA Group and Dr. Erika Schlichter from Huntley 158 presented on the topic of Academic Return on Investment (ROI). In this webinar, Dr. Gatta explained best practices for measuring Academic Return on Investment (ROI) and Dr. Schlichter presented a case study from her school district. This livestream was presented in conjunction…
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Documenting the Academic Return on Investment (ROI) for programs and school improvement efforts is the essence of evidence-based practice. When evaluating the success of a particular program, districts often ask: “How did students in the program grow?” While this question is important, the answer does not reflect academic ROI. Instead, academic ROI asks: “How did…
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