Evidence Based Decision Making and Program Improvement at the University of Houston

Accountability and rigor in teacher education have been the focus of recent policy initiatives. Thus, data use practices have become increasingly critical to informing program improvement that best meets the needs of candidates, districts, and Pk-12 students. Educational researchers have established self-study as a research methodology used by teacher educators to improve their practices where they are needed most… in the preparation of candidates.

The purpose of the self-study described in this publication was to examine the data use practices of one teacher preparation program and their efforts to facilitate improvement of the program's capacity in using program data. The qualitative data gathered in this case study proved to be pivotal in the continuous improvement efforts of the teacher preparation program; thus, the usefulness and value of the findings within this case study have implications for how institutional self-study and qualitative data can support quantitative programmatic data to facilitate programmatic improvement initiatives in other educator preparation programs.

To read the complete publication, as well as its results and implications, click here.