The issues of ensuring a high-quality and competitive level of school education require serious analysis before the implementation of any improvement measures is performed. An effective strategy for improving the school functioning is a fundamental key element of public policy, as it acts as a defining affordance for the formation of human capital. The possibilities of improving whole school vary greatly: for example, the creation of a unified educational environment as a system conditions for successful socialization and development of children. The main problem here is to design and establish a system of role-playing and interpersonal relations of all participants in the educational process to ensure overall engagement.
Another possibility lies in the optimization of the conditions of the social situation of children development, opening up opportunities for comprehensive improvement and creative initiatives. However, an issue can arise: in the conditions of too great number of children appointed to one school significantly hinders the teaching staff’s ability to reach them all. Possible constraints usually relate to the matter of funding, as well as staffing schools with specifically trained professionals. According to Askell-Williams and Koh (2020), “effective educational initiatives need to survive in order to continue to deliver personal, social, and economic benefits” (p. 660). Strategies that target whole schools require the participation of teachers, counselors, community workers, policymakers, and local authorities to ensure best results.
Data and data literacy allow to create an analysis tool with which teachers will be able to evaluate learning outcomes, predict future achievements, and identify knowledge and skill gaps. With the help of prediction tools based on the information collected, schools can take timely measures to eliminate it in accordance with the educational needs of each student. Schools also would get the opportunity to build individual learning paths, taking into account the abilities of students as much as possible. Big data can be used in the formation of the teacher improvement systems for the continuous development of their professional skills, updating the content of curricula, and improving the certification model for teachers. It can also help form flexible competencies, because teachers need to teach children to work effectively in a team, create their own projects, solve multidisciplinary problems, and work in a converged environment.
Reference
Askell-Williams, H., & Koh, G. A. (2020). Enhancing the sustainability of School Improvement Initiatives. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 31(4), 660–678. Web.